Half Prince Anthology
by CatMuto
Summary: 1/2 Prince - A Collection of Half Prince One Shots which mostly surround PrincexGui/Xiao LanxMin
1. Prologue

Rewritten version of the prologue, now with better format.  
>Once again, this was my second attempt at writing Half Prince.<br>The first one wasn't that good.

_All characters belong to Yu Wo, CatMuto does not own 1/2 Prince_

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><p>Lan adjusted the headband and lay down in bed, ready to enter Second Life and turned onto her side, hoping to fall asleep soon. Before she even finished that thought, she felt herself getting drowsy and her mind shutting down. But she flinched slightly when a horrible thought shot through her head for a second. She couldn't remember where she had last logged off. What if she was entering Second Life and appeared smack in the middle of a hoard of hungry fangirls, starving for some Prince meat. But before she could really calm herself down, she fell asleep and logged on...<p>

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><p>Prince opened his eyes and realized with a relieved sigh that he appeared in his favorite café, alone. The place was actually closed, with the few players managing the store slowly preparing for opening times, straightening chairs and wiping down countertops. The elf quickly slipped out and entered Infinite City's streets. And he instantly earned looks from passing people, mesmerized by his good looks. Putting on his usual sophisticated smile, Prince held his head high and walked through the streets, never really paying any attention to the women staring after him with fascination and the men with a mixture of dislike and envy. Nobody talked to him, his aura was so intimidating that nobody dared to approach him, but several fangirls were beginning to follow him from a certain distance.<br>"_Prince, you're on!_" a voice greeted him over the PM channel and he recognized Lolidragon. "_Come to the tower, we've got things to discuss!_" Prince quickly replied that he was on his way, happy to finally have a goal and to not stroll aimlessly through the city anymore. Still ignoring his shadows, the elf hastened his steps towards the central tower and casually waved towards the guards next to the entrance. When he opened the door and was halfway through it, he stopped for a second and could hear several of the girls sighing with disappointment that he was going to a place they couldn't stalk him anymore.  
>"Later!" he winked at them and entered, but could hear them cooing dreamily. Perhaps he was imagining it, but he thought he heard some of them fainting to the ground. Thinking no more of it, Prince looked around the large entrance hall and wondered where his caller was.<br>"Over here!" the same voice called and the elf followed it down the right hall and into the big meeting hall. The redheaded thief cheered at his prompt appearance, mocking his tendency to get lost easily. The rest of the OddSquad were in the room, some shuffling the papers on the table that featured costume sketches, sheet music and blueprints for city expansions. They all waved when he entered and Prince heaved a big sigh, slumping down like a marionette whose strings had been cut. The relief was just too noticeable on him, he always did this after coming into contact with any of his more energetic fans and they knew why. In front of them, he had to be either the charming Prince who was too wonderful to get close to or the infamous Blood Elf who, as rumors said, was known to kill people who irked him a little too much. At least with the rest of the OddSquad in the privacy of the central tower, he could be his usual, scatterbrained self. No need to pretend the one or the other, although Yu Lian kept reprimanding him about 'image' and 'reputation' on the outside. Although neither of those things was it, that really kept the fangirls at bay. Just as he thought that, Prince felt a sudden weight on his back and two arms around his chest, hugging him so tightly he almost felt like his ribs were getting crushed.  
>"Your Highness," a cheerful voice cooed. "I've missed you!"<br>"Oh, Gui. It's only been since yesterday." the elf said and squirmed, getting his arms out of the embrace. He lifted his arms over his head and put his hands to either side of the bard's face, rubbing his thumb along his cheekline. As expected, Gui's face flushed slightly at the touch and he smiled down at him, earning a sweet smile back from the elf. And with a sudden movement, Prince threw Gui over his shoulder and onto the ground where he landed with a loud whomp. Prince leaned over the bard a bit to look him into the eye and smirked.  
>"By the way, Hi, Gui."<br>"Hi..." Gui said breathlessly, the air out of his lungs and his back smarting where it had made contact with the hard floor. Prince stepped passed him and sat down at the table, knowing that the bard would be up and about in no time. He stared at the papers in front of him for a bit and kept himself from sighing.  
>"What's on for today?" he asked, although he knew he could forget his hope of not having any duties for the day and could spend it hacking away at monsters to his heart's content. The papers were already numberous and if he peeked at the folders in front of Yu Lian, he knew that they were filled to the brim, too.<br>"Well, we have to work out a schedule for the next concerts - Gui's already been working on new songs." Yu Lian told him, thrusting her thumb towards the bard who was still on the floor, silently dealing with the pain. "Then there's Ice Phoenix. She's bursting with new costume ideas and wants to see you in every single one of them."  
>"More concerts?" Prince sighed, leaning against the back of his chair. He had hoped that he was finally done with those. He enjoyed singing, but the stuff to prepare for it was annoying and boring as anything. "Yu Lian, didn't you say we're finally out of debt? I mean, Infinite City is all repaired and even the other cities are, after the invasions, right? What do we need more money for now?"<br>"True, those are all covered." she admitted and pushed her reading glasses up. "But we just barely covered them. Thankfully, you managed to gain control over them all without causing too much damage, so that's all sorted out... but we lack a financial cushion. We need money we can fall back on if ever an emergency came up. Plus, if you really want to go through with your plan to turn the Sun, Moon and Star City into spectacles themselves..."  
>"I get it..." Prince and Yu Lian sighed in unison. Their behavior was so similar, although their problems were the complete opposite. She was worrying about the financial situation and how to manage it, while he was more concerned with the increase his fanbase was gonna get and how more bold they'd become with each of his appearances. And then Prince felt a hand suddenly grabbing his arm and pulling him out of the chair.<br>"And since visual appearances are oh so very important during concert promotion, you're coming with me to try on some clothes!" Lolidragon cheered and began dragging the elf towards a door. Tripping slightly, Prince tried weakly to get away from her, although he knew nobody could escape her iron grip.  
>"Hang on, Ice Phoenix merely had ideas, right?"<br>"She has a _ton_ of costumes we haven't used yet." the thief grinned.  
>"Don't sound so happy about my misery~" Prince whined and resigned himself to his fate of having to undress again and again in the presence of two very energetic girls who generally ignored him when he said No to anymore trying on of clothes. Sometimes, he wondered why he even bothered to log on.<p>

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><p>Several hours later, Prince returned to the meeting hall and slumped into his chair with a loud sigh. He had tried on so many clothes, he had gotten sick of them. It was all he could do to remind himself about the dangers of walking around in nothing but his boxers that got him to put his original clothes back on once he was done. Apparently, Ice Phoenix had been going through a phase of creating clothes that used a ton of mesh or animal prints. Leopard, tiger and zebra patterns, he had worn them all and it didn't feel any different to the much more conservative stuff he had worn during previous concerts, so he couldn't understand why Lolidragon kept insisting on him having to wear these costumes next time.<br>And after that disaster called a fashion show, he had been called to Yu Lian's office and had fought for about two hours about the matter of the other cities' renovations. It wasn't necessarily a fight... but Yu Lian had immediately put her foot down on exactly how much money she was going to spend on renovating them and upgrading them. And she was insistent that she wasn't going to start on them until the concerts were done. She refused to do any work on them until the concerts were over and she saw how much income they had made, then what could be used as the financial cushion she was so worried about and _then_ see what was left for the renovations.  
>Feeling a headache coming on, Prince rubbed his forehead and wondered if he should ask Wolf for some medicine first or sneak off to a restaurant to grab a bite. He hadn't eaten since he had logged on and his stomach was complaining about that. When he finally sat up, he stopped and noticed the depressed bundle of clothes sitting huddled together in one of the corners. The treacherous earrings and long hair made it plainly obvious that it was Gui and Prince wondered if he had moved at all since he had been slammed onto the floor... but he quickly dismissed that thought, remembering how he had passed the bard several times in the halls during his many errands.<br>"What's with you?" Prince asked, leaning against one of the arms of his chair and studied the bard. He looked so depressed, he could almost see the black aura emitting from him and the ghostly fires hovering around his head. Gui flinched slightly and turned his head a bit so he could see Prince from the corner of his eye.  
>"You're ignoring me..."<br>"Hah?" the elf jumped out of his chair and approached him. "What makes you think that? If I was ignoring you, I wouldn't have reacted at all this morning. Besides, you seemed fine earlier. So why are you this depressed all of a sudden?"  
>"My PMs..." he mumbled. "You haven't reacted to any of them..."<br>Not knowing what he meant, Prince opened his inbox and felt his jaw drop slightly when he saw the long list of unopened PMs. They had been sent throughout the day and they were all from Gui. He somehow remembered hearing the alarm for an incoming PM sounding now and then, but he had been so busy that he ignored it or decided to look at it later, but completely forgot about it by now... coughing rather embarrassedly, Prince figured that it wouldn't hurt to check them _now_, so he opened each of them. The first was a message, telling him that he had something rather important to ask about. The rest were either little bumps to grab his attention or asking him to please contact him when he had a free minute. Somehow, reading them all at once made it possible for Prince to imagine how low Gui's mood had gone between the intervals of PMs.  
>"Anyway... now I'm free. What is it?" Prince asked.<br>"...I wanted to ask you for your address-" Gui sighed and immediately got Prince's fist punched against his cheekbone. Losing his balance, he fell to the floor and got tangled up in his long coat. Trying to fight himself out of it, he saw Prince looking down at him with anger in his eyes.  
>"Dammit, Gui, I said no meeting in real life!" he snapped. Annoyed, he turned away from the bard and was heading towards the door to leave. Gui, ending his fight with his cloak by simply untying it, got up and left the cloak on the floor, rushing after the elf and putting his hand on his shoulder to stop him.<br>"Prince, hang on-" he started but stopped when Prince punched him again. "What was that for?"  
>"For wanting my address!"<br>"You already punched me for that!" Gui snapped at him, holding his cheek.  
>"You deserved another one!" Prince yelled and wanted to walk away again, but Gui gripped his shoulders and forced him to face him, refusing to let him get away.<br>"Prince, I am not asking for a meeting."  
>"You're asking for information about me in real life, you're trying to find me out."<br>"No, I'm not. This has nothing to do with figuring out who you are in real life and I don't want a meeting." the bard told him and hesitated for a minute. He shook his head slightly and ran a hand through his hair. Prince noticed the rarely seen serious expression on Gui's face, not to mention the two bruises starting to shimmer through his skin. But those made him look only more intimidating, so he didn't dare to move and listened.  
>"Okay, it's a lie if I say that I don't want to meet you." Gui admitted. "But that's not what I was planning. It's... I've got a present for you. And I just don't know how to get it to you."<br>Prince looked at Gui in surprise.  
>"A present?" he asked. His head was buzzing with a list of all sorts of special occasions that might be happening. It wasn't his birthday, nor a festival coming up or anything that could somehow warrant a gift. He couldn't help but wonder why Gui was getting him a gift... or what it could be. Quickly, Prince brainstormed all possible options he could take to get his hands on that gift.<br>_I can't give him my home address. He's probably got all his students' information memorized. He'd recognize it.  
>Maybe tell him to leave it somewhere and I pick it up? No... no, that's stupid. Somebody else might take it.<br>He could hand it over to Yang... yeah, that might work. It wouldn't be too awkward or strange... unless Gui suddenly becomes jealous, thinking that Yang and Prince know each other in a pretty personal matter... Oh, how I hate you for that mental image, brain...  
>Can't have him hand it over to my parents. They're barely at home. Plus, they'd blab.<br>Maybe... Zhuo-No! Those two absolutely hate each other, there's no way Zhuo-gégé would give me a gift that was from Gui. If this situation was reversed, I'm pretty sure Gui would never give me something that was a gift from Zhuo-gégé... dammit, I'm running out of options!  
><em>While Prince's brain was working in overdrive, Gui watched him quietly. The way Prince's facial expression changed fluidly was really amazing to watch. First, his eyebrows were furrowed together in concentration, little lines were appearing on his forehead. Then his eyes became slightly unfocused, the deeper he dipped into his thoughts, before a slight twitch in his cheek and a flush made him look like he was having indecent thoughts. And finally the corners of his mouth turned down as he became increasingly frustrated. But finally, Prince slapped his fist into his open palm and focused his eyes back onto Gui with a new sparkle in them.  
>"I know! Just give it to Jing or Yun." he told him. "They're friends, they won't mind playing delivery boy!"<br>"Ah... that's a good idea." Gui agreed and tried his best to hide his disappointment. But something must've shown on his face because Prince's expression suddenly darkened and his glared at the bard.  
>"Hey." he said. "You weren't really hoping I'd give you my address, were you?"<br>"Gh!" the bard flinched and laughed nonchalantly. "O-of course not!"  
>It didn't convince Prince, though, because he punched Gui for a third time.<p>

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><p>All throughout the next day, Lan was incapable of focusing on any of her lessons. After her conversation with Gui yesterday, she had been too excited, thinking what the gift was. She had even managed to smile at Lolidragon when she appeared a bit later, grinning devilishly, and told Prince that there were still a lot of costumes to try on. And the prospect of the gift had helped her through those hours of more clothes changing. Even the advertising of the concerts had started, because Prince had been 'such a good boy' and hadn't made any fuss.<br>Now, Lan kept peeking glances at her watch, waiting for the minute hand to finally move that one little bit so the bell would ring. Any second now it would, and then Gui would call either Jing or Yun to stay behind, wait for everybody else to leave and hand them the gift. Lan wondered if he was going to give them any coverstory, like invent some special reason why he had a present for Prince. Anyway, very soon, that gift would be in her hand and then she'd know. She couldn't help but grin. Then, finally, the bell rang and the volume in the classroom lifted with chairs scraping the floor, students talking about meeting up later.  
>"Feng Lan, may I have a moment of your time?" Min asked, sending a polite smile her way. Flinching, Lan almost threw her notebook onto the floor, but managed to grab it and quickly put her stuff into her bag. Jing grinned slightly and waved, heading out with Yun, signalling that they'd wait for her and then the classroom slowly began to empty. Forcing her suddenly buttery legs to move, Lan walked towards the teacher's desk. Had she done something wrong? No, she had been perfectly quiet during class. He couldn't be thinking of scolding her. Okay, she hadn't really paid any attention, but that meant nothing! Several students didn't pay attention all the time! So why had he asked <em>her<em> over? Horrified, Lan worried that he might've figured out that she was Prince. But she quickly calmed herself about that fact, knowing that he would've asked for some time before class for a talk. Or, at least, sounded much more nervous than he did. Which he didn't sound at all.  
>"You seemed rather distracted today." Min said. "Is something the matter?"<br>"What? No, no, everything's fine." Lan answered and sighed in relief. He was only worried about her academics. No reason to panic, everything was okay. Except that he seemed to not think about the gift. "Um... well, they did mention that the Infinite Band is going to go on tour again soon, so I'm kinda excited about that."  
>"I see. Then I hope you'll enjoy the concerts." Min told her. "Be careful on your way home."<br>Lan nodded and waved quickly, heading for the door. Somehow, she was disappointed. Did this mean that he wasn't going to hand the gift over to anyone? Or did he simply forget to bring it today? Either way, she felt discouraged. No way could she wait another day, not knowing what the gift was or when she was going to get it. She couldn't use the concert excuse a second time.  
>"Oh, if Yun is still outside, could you ask him to step in for a minute?" Min asked.<br>"Sure!" Lan answered and stepped into the hall, grinning widely. She gestured Yun, waiting with Jing, to go into the classroom. Surprised, Yun did so and now it was Lan's turn to wait with Jing. Jing kept trying to get her friend to spill what was going on, because her wide grin was starting to irritate her sense of curiosity. But Lan remained quiet and then, after barely a minute passed, Yun came out of the door and waved something in his hand.  
>"Don't worry, I'll make sure he gets it. Bye, Professor!" he called and rushed down the hall with Jing and Lan, chuckling. They didn't stop until they were about two corridors away, then Yun almost bent over with laughter exploding out of him. Lan waited for a few seconds for him to collect himself, then nudged his ribs slightly.<br>"What, what's going on? Tell me!" Jing begged.  
>"It's a gift from the professor for Prince." Yun admitted and giggled, holding up the darkblue, rectangular box. Jing stared at it, while Lan grinned widely at him and extended her hand.<br>"Yup, for Prince. So hand it over."  
>"Mh... no." Yun said and stuck the gift into his pocket. "Not till you tell us about this."<br>Lan pouted and stemmed her hands into her hips. And trying to snap the gift out of the pocket was futile, because when she did, Jing was faster and grabbed it first, holding it up so Lan couldn't reach it. Sighing annoyed, she finally crossed her arms. She had secretly been worrying if this was a consequence of picking them as the couriers, but couldn't help it now. They had the gift and the only way to get it, was to spill the beans.  
>"Okay, Gui had a gift for Prince and he didn't know how to give it to him." she said shortly. "I couldn't think of a way to get it without him somehow finding me out, or worse, causing more rivalry. So, I finally told him to give it to one of you, cause you'll give it to me... won't you?" Her glare went from Yun to Jing and back. Both looked at each other for a while, wondering if that explanation was enough to fill their curiosity. Apparently it was, because Jing handed the box over. Excited, Lan looked at it for a second, noticing the fine gold rim around the edge and opened it. Inside was a silver necklace with a short chain made up out of tiny silver hoops and a crown-shaped pendant. They stared at it for a while and then Lan carefully picked it out of the box and held it up, closely inspecting the pendant. The little top of the crown was a tiny white pearl. It was simple, yet pretty.<p>

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><p>Hours later, when Gui logged into Second Life after spending his evening hunched over papers to grade and notes to write, he was immediately greeted with a notification that he had an unread PM in his inbox. His heart skipped a beat when he saw Prince's name in the sender slot. He quickly opened it.<br>"_Thanks for the necklace, I love it! I'm asking Lolidragon to code it into the game!_"

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><p>And the prologue's rewrite is finished.<br>The necklace appears randomly in various chapters, so I wanted it to have some background.


	2. Fair Game

The second chapter's rewritten version, with better format.  
>I still haven't gotten very far with the drawn version of this chapter...<br>Mostly I'm stuck on what clothes to give Lan during the first part.

**Fair Game**

'Her thoughts whirring around her emotional dilemma regarding Wicked and Gui, Lan chooses a rather daring step...'

_All characters belong to Yu Wo, CatMuto does not own 1/2 Prince_

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><p>At XX University, the last lesson of the day was coming to an end for the literature majors. Once the bell rang, they'd be free to roam the city as they liked and were already with their minds elsewhere. The warm weather was making concentrating particularly hard, the sunlight spilling into the room and illuminating it, heating up the students and making them longingly think of ice cream or the swimming pool. Amongst the many students not paying attention was Feng Lan, although she wasn't thinking the same as the others were. She wasn't even aware that the sun was beginning to burn the back of her neck.<br>"...since nobody is listening anymore, we'll end today a bit earlier." Min said exasperated and closed the book in his hands, the sound waking almost every student out of their stupor. Although it was only by about two minutes, they were happy to get out earlier, and the volume in the classroom increased steadily, friends calling to others where to meet or what to do later as they packed their stuff together. Min was among the first batch of students to leave, knowing that if he daddled even a second, half a dozen female students would suddenly teleport to his desk and ask him out to go for a round of karaoke or to the arcades, even some mix-parties. But with him leaving, the girls, who were thinking of doing exactly what he had feared, sighed heavily, their plans foiled.  
>"Hey, Lan, school's over." Jing said and looked at her friend, her head still in her hands and staring at the white desk beneath her. Bending down, Jing even snapped her fingers in front of Lan's face a few times, but to no avail.<br>"Lan?" Yun asked and bent his knees slightly to look into her face. Lan's eyes were slightly unfocused, but somehow concentrated on some random spot on her desk. Jing and Yun finally shrugged their shoulders, thinking that if anything was really wrong, Lan would not stay silent about it. So they decided to just leave her be and go home, ready to bombard her with calls in the evening, demanding to know what was going on.  
>When she was the only person left in the room, Lan sighed slightly and leaned back into her chair, beginning to tip back and forth on the hind legs. She let her head hang over the backrest and stared up at the white ceiling, oblivious to the thousands of tiny dots on it.<p>

_"The one you love, it's Prince, right?" Lan asked and twirled the coffee cup between her hands, barely daring to look up. Min across from her started in slight surprise and looked at her, but finally nodded with a little color rising in his cheeks. The girl frowned slightly. "Won't you... regret it? Prince is a man, after all."  
>"Regret? Never." he answered immediately. He looked at his hands, like he was seeing something invisible to her, and finally shook his head, his eyes growing gentle, but serious. "Prince is... like a rose. Beautiful, but with its thorns. If I had first known about those thorns, I'd never have dared to pick it up. But now that I have, I have also seen its true beauty and sweet fragrance... even if I tried, I cannot put it down anymore. And I don't want to, either."<br>Both were quiet for a while and then Min blushed, laughing selfconciously.  
>"Sorry, that must've sounded strange."<br>Lan shook her head slightly, ignoring how her heart began to beat faster at his words._

_"Zhuo-gégé?"  
>"Mh?"<br>Lan squirmed on the bench a little bit, scratching the stoney ground with her sneakers a bit. Her finger was beating steadily against the bag that held her fries and she took a deep breath before going on.  
>"Do you like me?" she asked and heard a quiet gasp from her friend. Slowly, she dared to glance at him and saw that his ears had gotten quiet red. Zhuo stared at the ground for a bit, then looking at her for a second before returning to the ground again.<br>"Yes, for the past eight years."  
>"But, am I really worth that? I mean, what if I don't...?"<br>"You are worth any wait." he said with a strong voice. He scratched his neck in an embarrassed fashion and got up, looking up at the dark sky. "The sunflower patiently awaits the sun's presence. It faces wind and rain, always waiting for the sun's warming smile. Never regretting, however long it might have to wade through that painful time."  
>"Sunflower, huh..." Lan mumbled and ate a french fry, barely tasting anything, but glad to have something to do with her hand.<em>

Lan's tipping of the chair slowed down, into a steady rhythm matching her heartbeat. She was completely ignorant of the golden sunlight as the sun began to set. And she closed her eyes. Both of those confessions, no matter how strange the metaphors were, had really shaken her up. Both were talking about her, but in such different ways that... somehow, it sounded like they were actually talking about somebody entirely different.  
>Still tipping, Lan sighed and tried to calm down. She wanted to sort through her memories some more, see her train of thoughts through to the end and then ponder if her decision, of which she wasn't entirely sure of yet, was the right one. Although, if she had already come to a decision, didn't that mean that she was just prolonging the moment she would have to follow up on it?<p>

_Heaving a large sigh, Lan took her gaming headband off and let it flop onto the matress.  
>"If I didn't have my beloved Meatbun..." she muttered and got out of bed, stretching, thinking of the horror that was called a ship. For the past three in-game days, she had been stuck on a ship that was currently transporting her, rather against her will, to the eastern continent. And as she had left the soil of the center continent, there was no way she could PM Lolidragon, Wolf or Yu Lian or anybody who could somehow help her out.<br>Thankfully, after only a day she had spent scrubbing the deck - after the sailors had taken her money under the guise of transport costs - her pet had made itself noticeable. Crying because it was hungry, Meatbun had actually saved Lan and her sanity. So she gladly shared her food with her pet, happy to have somebody to talk to who wasn't an NPC sailor or an NPC trader off to find some new goods.  
>From what she had heard, the next time she logged on, the ship will have reached its destination and she would be able to get off of it... stranded in a place she didn't know. Then Lan could... no idea, she would still be incapable of PMing anybody who would be of help.<br>"Ah, how to tell the guys what happened...?" she sighed. "...well, at least __**I**__ won't have to be the one to give Yu Lian the news!"  
>Almost like her mind was being read, the phone rang at that exact moment. Rushing into the hallway, Lan picked it up immediately. And Zhuo was on the line.<br>"Xiao Lan, where are you? Everyone's waiting."  
>"Zhuo-gégé! It's so good to hear your voice...!" Lan said, her voice breaking slightly.<br>"A-ah... anyway, what's going on?"  
>"Um, I'm, like, a stone's throw away from the eastern continent..."<br>"...how did you get there?"  
>"Well I... um, actually... I have no idea how this happened." Lan admitted, laughing selfconsciously. "I was out drinking with Nan Gong Zui and Kong Kong and... my memory's kinda blurry, they kept ordering more drinks and I kept up... I think we had a friendly brawl in the city, but... really, I don't know how or when I got onto that ship. I woke up while it was in the middle of the ocean."<br>Finishing her story, Lan waited for Zhuo to say something. But the silence on the other end of the line was so thick, the girl held the phone away from her ear to check the display to see if the call was still connected. A split second later, she was glad she had pulled the phone away.  
>"Are you <em>_**insane**__!?" Zhuo's angry voice suddenly yelled and was heard very well, despite the distance between ear and phone at that moment. "You're a girl! You can't just go drinking with two guys, especially without knowing them too well! Completely unprotected! You have any idea what could've happened to you!?"  
>"But I'm not a girl in-game."<br>The silence returned, but now with an icy air almost seeping through the line and freezing Lan at the spot. Clearly, Zhuo had found her smartass retort not at all funny. The girl finally sighed.  
>"I'm sorry, Zhuo-gégé. I'll be careful. Could you tell the guys where I am?"<br>"Sure..."_

_Yu Lian's icy stare made Prince refuse to move in the chair he was sitting in. Not that he would've dared to move anyway, considering the very lengthy scolding Yu Lian had just finished giving him, after he returned from the eastern continent after 'three weeks, twenty-one days' as she had kindly reminded him.  
>Like he would forget. But he knew that any false movement right now could mean the end of him. Yu Lian wasn't just displeased or angry with him, she was furious. Because for once she had ditched her serene smile and shown her dark feelings.<br>"You have learned, __**haven't you**__?" she asked.  
>"Yes'm..."<br>"Good. Then this sort of thing will never. Happen. Again." the mage gave him a last glare and turned her back on him, leaving the room and was quickly followed by her husband and various other people. The elf waited a few seconds and then allowed himself to relax, almost melting off the chair, and heaved a huge relieved sigh.  
>Her anger was really, really bad. But he was glad that he had brought that tiny piece of that gemstone from the eastern continent. Actually, luckily that turned out to be worth a lot, otherwise... he didn't want to imagine what she might've been like had he not brought anything 'worthwhile' back.<br>"Your Highness!" Gui's voice called, reminding the elf of his presence. Then the bard suddenly hugged him tightly, almost lifting him off his feet. "Gui has missed you so much!"  
>"Gui!" Prince replied in the same happy tone and punched the bard away. "I missed you, too! Especially beating you up! I'm so happy I can do that again!"<br>"Anything His Highness wants..." Gui coughed, mastering the pain.  
>"Nah, I'm really glad to be back."<br>"Well then, welcome home." he told the elf and managed to get him to smile._

_"Prince, I'm sorry."  
>The elf looked surprised at Gui, currently looking very beaten up with bruises forming on him and especially on the back where Prince had stomped on him once out of frustration. Frowning, Prince cocked his head to the side.<br>"What are you apologizing for?" he asked, wondering how weird it was for the one who just got beaten up to be apologizing to the beat-upper. It was such a strange thing to do.  
>"I promise, I won't pry into your affairs again."<br>Prince kneeled onto the floor to be on the same eye-level as Gui and frowned some more, wondering what he meant. Earlier, Gui had found out that Prince was not who he thought he was in real life. Actually, he had confused him with his brother... not that Prince felt any desire to inform Gui about that. Quite the opposite. He would be quite happy if the bard wouldn't ask anything about his real identity... which he was sort of promising at that moment.  
>"So... you don't want to know who I am in real life?" he asked.<br>"No, that's not it." Gui answered, shaking his head slightly and then his eyes grew serious, an expression not often seen on him. "But it doesn't matter to me who Prince is in real life. Who you are in-game is your real personality. So it doesn't matter. No matter what gender or age or anything... Prince will always be Prince to me."_

Lan put the chair back onto all four legs with a loud _clunk_ when she stopped tipping it suddenly. Her neck was protesting against the whack it got, but she didn't seem to register it. Slowly opening her eyes, she turned her head to the side and got blinded by the sun setting right in front of her. Somehow, she felt like she had wasted her time. Thinking things through had only proven her point to herself again, had firmed her decision that she had come to much earlier. But there was still that sense of worry...  
>When her phone suddenly went off, Lan almost jumped a foot and quickly grabbed it, answering the caller who was ripping her out of her very important thoughts.<br>"Sis, where _are_ you?" Yang Ming whined and yelled into her ear at the same time. Taking a quick look at her watch, Lan noticed that she must've spent hours here without really taking note of it. Getting up, she grabbed her bag. "You're not home from school, there's no dinner prepared and I'm hungry... Hurry up and come home, Zhuo's worried, too!"  
>"Y-" Lan began to yell at him, annoyed that he was much more concerned about food than about her actual well-being for 'missing', but she quickly gave up. It wouldn't change anything, anyway. "I'm going home now, you won't starve. Call Zhuo and tell him I'm fine."<br>"Tell him yourself..." Yang told her before hanging up.  
>Lan sighed. That probably meant that Yang, not knowing where she was, had called Zhuo and asked him if he knew anything. Since he didn't, he got worried and looked around, finally deciding to wait at home with Yang when she did come home.<br>As she was on her way back, Lan took a quick detour to a take-away place and buying some food. What with spending all this time in school, thinking about serious things and making decisions, she felt exhausted, but also energized and in no mood to do any cooking when she entered her home. And Yang wouldn't care, food was food. But there was still that worry in the back of her mind, making her wonder if her decision was right after all... although she was rather determined to do it now, so any time spent on worrying was wasted.  
>"You're home! And you brought food!"<br>That was what Yang called out when Lan had stuck her keys into the door, which was then instantly ripped open by her brother. Getting in, Lan thrusted the bag from the take-away into Yang's hands, rushed into the living room where she threw her bag onto the couch and already started to head into her room, giving Zhuo only a quick nod when she saw him.  
>"What about-"<br>"Not hungry!" Lan called and closed her door, sitting down on the bed and putting the gaming headband on. She quickly lay down, not bothering to change her clothes or get underneath the blanket. She just wanted to log in as fast as possible.

* * *

><p>Taking a deep breath, Prince held it for a few seconds and then exhaled, knocking his knuckles against the door a few times. He was hoping that Wolf's information was correct and he would find Gui here. A dull answer from inside was heard and Prince opened the door, stepping into the office. The bard was sitting at the wooden desk, surrounded by blueprints for future expansions and designs.<br>"You got a minute?" Prince asked, worried that he might've interrupted a brilliant thought.  
>"I've always got time for Your Highness!" Gui answered in a happy tone and tensed slightly, waiting for the elf to lash out at him about that whole 'Highness' stuff again. But he didn't. Instead, Prince entered the room and shut the door behind himself, leaning against it. Doubts were nagging at him again. Maybe his decision wasn't such a good one, after all. He had rushed to get online and find Gui, so that he wouldn't have time to second-guess himself. But even if he had waited, he would've just made things worse.<br>"Do you want to meet me?"  
>The words were out before Prince could somehow tell his brain to stop his mouth from running off. But now that he said it, the silence in the room was so tense. The elf barely allowed himself to breathe, he waited for Gui to say something or do something.<br>"What?" Gui finally asked. He wanted to hear him again. To make sure that what he had just heard was real and not a trick of his ears. Prince sighed and slid down the door a little bit.  
>"Do you want to meet me? In real life, I mean." he repeated a little louder this time. He scratched the floor with his feet. "If you don't want to, that's okay."<br>"No, I-I mean, of course I do!" the bard said, happy to know that he hadn't misheard him. But he tried to keep his hopes low, in case Prince was playing a mean prank on him or something. For so long, Prince had forbidden Gui from asking any questions about his real identity, yelled or hit him for even mentioning anything that came close to the topic of meet-ups. So Gui had promised not to pry or ask anything anymore - and now here was Prince, suggesting a meeting himself! It... it was almost too good to be true.  
>"Um, do you have any concrete plans in mind or...?" Gui asked when Prince remained quiet except for a quick nod when the meeting was agreed upon. Now, the elf stood straight, pushing himself away from the door.<br>"Not really. Just soon." he admitted and scratched the back of his neck. "And someplace where we're alone and no-one interrupts us while we talk..." Gui wondered what was going on in Prince's head. After refusing so long, he was suddenly expressing a desire to meet Gui in real life and the sooner the better, without anyone close-by to bother them... what was driving him so? Any attempt to read Prince's expression was useless as he merely showed some uncertainty about where to meet up.  
>"You say soon... is tomorrow alright? After school, on the roof. Barely anyone goes there after hours." the bard suggested, crossing his arms. Then he slapped his forehead. "No, wait, bad idea. If the girls see me go there after hours, they'll follow and corner me... but it's important, so... well, I guess I could skip the last lesson and go early..."<br>He was muttering more to himself now and Prince shook his head slightly, smirking.  
>"Tomorrow's fine. I could skip, too." he said. "That necklace you gave me a while ago? I'll wear it, so you can recognize me. See ya." Gui grinned slightly at the mention of his present and watched Prince turn around and open the door, but he didn't step out. He stood there for a few seconds with his back to Gui and finally looked over his shoulder.<br>"Don't be too shocked, okay?" he asked with a wistful smile and closed the door behind himself, leaving Gui alone to wonder about the elf's words and his own confused thoughts.

* * *

><p>Min looked at his watch for the millionth time. True to his word, he had skipped his last lesson by feigning a sickness and having a colleague take over the class, then going up the stairs to the rooftop instead of heading home. And since then, he's been waiting for Prince to arrive. He turned around and looked again. The high chainlink fence surrounding the edge of the roof, the area empty except for the door leading to the staircase he had taken.<br>Sighing, he turned around and looked at his watch again. Only a few more minutes and the last lesson of the day would be over. Granted, he hadn't specified a time, but Prince had mentioned he might skip the last lesson, too... so either he hadn't skipped and was going to meet him after class was over... or he had decided to not appear at all... Min shook his head quickly, suppressing anymore such thoughts. Prince wouldn't ask for a meeting and then just not show up. He was scatterbrained and forgetful at times, but it seemed important to him and he knew how important it was to Min, so he was definitely not going to just stay away. And Min chose to continue to wait for him.  
>But the longer he had to wait, the harder it got for him. Every minute that passed made his doubt and insecurity rise. Trying to distract himself, Min wondered about Prince's appearance. Even if he had promised to not try and find Prince in real life, he had always wondered in the back of his mind what he might look like or how he might act, see if his real personality differed from the one in the game.<br>Footsteps!  
>He could hear them, however dull they were because of the distance. Footsteps were climbing the last few steps of the staircase leading to this roof and any second now, the door would open and reveal Prince, most likely grinning and apologizing for taking so long. But when Min turned around, the door didn't get opened and he saw no shadow moving behind the small glass window set inside the door. With a sigh, Min faced the opposite way again and saw some students leaving school grounds early.<br>On the other side of the door, Lan hesitated to keep going.  
>She had skipped class, as she had mentioned she might, and had wanted to appear right away. But worry had nagged at her, causing her legs to refuse to work properly and making her walk slowly, clawing her hands against the walls or railings. Anything solid that would prevent her from turning around and running away. But as soon as she had set her foot onto the last step, all of her courage had disappeared and she had quickly flattened herself against the wall. The short glance she had gotten from Min waiting made her curse herself for taking so long... she had actually hoped to be the first one at the meeting spot, so that he would be the one to arrive and see her. So that she wasn't the one to initiate the meeting, however cowardly that was.<br>Lan slid down and sat on the hard cement floor, her whole body trembling.  
>Meeting in real life was much harder than she had expected. But she had wanted to meet him as soon as possible, so that she couldn't waver in her decision. And yet she had still gotten this far, only to chicken out. But, staring down at her shakey hands, Lan felt worry creeping up on her when she thought about how Min would react. He'd probably be angry... he'd definitely be angry. He wasn't a person to yell at someone, but it could happen. Or maybe he'd leave as soon as Lan appeared and ignore anything she might want to say.<br>The bell for the last lesson rang.  
>Lan sighed, wondering what would happen now.<br>Would Min continue to wait? Or decide to go home and find Lan hiding here? Worried, Lan forced her legs to support her weight and stood up, one foot already on the stairs and ready to run down if the doorknob began to move. But nothing happened, no steps or any sound approached the door. Slowly, Lan turned and dared to peak through the glass set in the door and looked at Min. He was still standing at the fence where he was before, his back turned towards her. But his shoulders seemed to have slumped down after hearing the bell. Somehow, it was an incredibly sad thing to look at. Perhaps the pain in having been stood up by Prince was worse than having his illusion about him crushed... at least, that's what Lan told herself when she approached the door with two huge steps and gripped the doorknob.  
>She hesitated again.<br>She had made a decision. Now she had to go through with it. To run away now, when she had already made it this far, was no longer and option. Besides, it would be unfair to him... Putting her other hand over the first one, she held the doorknob tighter than necessary and slowly turned, pushing the door open. The tiny squeak from the hinges sounded louder than it was. Min had reacted immediately on that sound and turned around, seeing Lan appear. And the hopeful glint in his eyes died away instantly. His shoulders slumped down again.  
>"I'm sorry..." Lan said. Thinking that she was apologizing for walking in on him and was merely here to meet someone herself, Min started to turn away, but then his eyes caught the glint. He saw the familiar necklace, with the crown-shaped pendant nestled below her collarbone. For a second, Min just stared at her and then turned around, his hands clawing into the fence.<br>"I'm sorry..." Lan said again.  
>She had no idea what was going on in him right now or how he was dealing with this situation, because nothing in his body language showed a particular motion. So she slowly forced her feet to move and stand with a little distance between them at the fence. Neither said anything for a while. Maybe it was only a few minutes or even an hour, only the way the sunlight got less showed the passing of time now. A cool breeze ruffled their hair, but was unable to do anything about the heavy atmosphere between them.<br>Silence remained.  
>Min studied Lan out of the corner of his eye. The more he did, the more similiarities he saw that he had refused to see before. Although her eyes were a warm brown and not the familiar bloodred shade, they had the same swing to them. Her features, even the way she brushed her hair back was identical to Prince. But Lan didn't look at him once. Only looked straight ahead at the scenery with the same conflicted expression Min had seen on Prince the day before.<br>"...this explains things." Min finally said with an exaspirated smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Lan turned her head towards him, but Min kept looking at the ground. "It explains a lot."  
>"I'm sorry, Gui." she said and Min felt his heart skip a beat, hearing the same note that Prince used when saying his name. Straightening, Min looked ahead and sighed.<br>"Did you decide to tell me because you pity me?"  
>"Not at all." Lan answered with a slight force and turned her head back. And then her voice softened again. "But now, things are fair between you and Wicked."<br>"What?" Min felt his blood boil at the mention of his rival's name.  
>"It's just... You and Zhuo-gégé love me. And I can't give either of you a clear answer, yet. But somehow..." she confessed and brushed her hair back again. "I thought it was unfair that Zhuo-gégé knew my real identity and could contact me anytime, while you... well, couldn't. I thought if you both knew, you'd have a fair chance... I'm sorry, that does sound like pity."<br>She held out a piece of paper.  
>"My number... if you want it."<br>Min took it and looked at it for a minute before putting it away.  
>"Thank you for being honest with me, Feng Lan."<br>Lan blushed slightly and looked away, unable to withstand his gaze anymore.  
>"You're not angry?" she asked.<br>"A little. But when I think of when you first saw me in the classroom... like I said, it explains things." Min said and shrugged his shoulders. "Come on, I'll take you home."

* * *

><p>Finally, the second chapter's rewrite is done.<br>This has been sitting here for so long... mostly because I found I got the emotions done well in the first version and I didn't want to do a simple retyping...


	3. Letting It Out

I have ideas for this, but not enough to instantly know what to write next.  
>And as soon as I finish a chapter, I don't know what to do with my time.<br>Although I should practice cleaning ... or typesetting more chapters.  
>This chapter would play at some point past chapter 56.<p>

**Letting It Out**

'Lan wakes up and has the appearance of Prince ... _what_!'

_All characters belong to Yu Wo, CatMuto does not own 1/2 Prince_

* * *

><p>Feeling the electrical shock running through his body, Prince yelled at the top of his lungs.<p>

Despite the pain being reduced to only 30%, it was so bad he felt it waking him up in real life.

Slapping his hands against the side of his heads, he tugged at the gaming headband and woke up,

still feeling the shock going through him.

"Hnnng...!" biting her teeth together, Lan gave the headband a final tug and it came off and she was fully in reality,

sitting up in her bed, drenched in cold sweat and panting.

Feeling the current still going through her, she felt her muscles twitching, her hands letting go of the headband which fell onto the blanket.

"Ow, that was painful..." she moaned, feeling the queasiness in her stomach jumping around and slowly got out of bed,

although her legs felt like cooked noodles, unsteady and weak.

"WHAT THE HELL!" her brother's voice yelled out from the other bedroom and, worried,

Lan rushed out of her room and almost collided with her brother when he, in turn,

dashed out of his room and towards the first mirror he could find, which was in the bathroom.

Having just caught a glimpse of him for a second, Lan tried to tell herself she had seen things,

but it looked like his hair had grown several inches overnight. Walking towards the bathroom,

she stood in the doorframe and watched her brother while he was randomly grabbing his face and pulled at his hair or cheeks,

staring horrified into the mirror. But now Lan knew she hadn't imagined it.

Her brother's hair _had_ grown suddenly.

It fell past his shoulders and even halfway down his back, his eyes seemed a lighter shade than they normally were and... was he looking better than he had before?

She admitted that her brother was a good-looking guy and all, but he seemed... well, even _more_ good-looking.

"W... Wu Qing?" she finally said, wondering if her eyes were playing tricks on her or if her brother really did get his game character's appearance.

Hearing her, Yang Ming turned towards her.

"Ah, you, too!" he snapped, pointing his finger at her.

"Me too, what?"

As an answer, Yang Ming grabbed his sister's wrist and pulled her into the bathroom and pointed at the mirror.

And the white-washed face of Prince looked back at her. Slowly, her eyebrows furrowed and so did Prince's,

then she slapped herself on the cheek. It didn't change anything except that her right cheek hurt and Prince's usually creamy complexion got a bit pinker there.

"What is this?" she wailed, realizing her voice had changed as well, and began pulling her hair,

hoping it would come off easily and turn out to be a wig. Or wake her up from what she hoped was a dream.

"I don't know. Maybe a glitch?" Yang continued to stare at his own reflection.

"Well, how long is this going to stay like this? Not forever, I hope!" Lan sighed. "I wish I knew how to get hold

of Lolidragon outside of Second Life ... do you think it's just us?"

Yang Ming left the bathroom, turning the TV on and switched to the newschannel while he powered up the computer.

Lan kept staring at her Prince reflection and it slowly dawned to her. She was Prince. In real life.

Her real life and in-game appearance had become identical. Even the voice.

Like there never was Feng Lan, only Prince...

"The news aren't saying anything," Yang Ming called from the living room. "but I checked Second Life's homepage.

There's a message that they know of the problem. They don't know what it is, but are working on it."

Her mind running ahead of itself, refusing to stop and let everything go by the logic control central,

she walked out of the bathroom and headed down the hallway. "I gotta go somewhere...!"

"WHAT! Don't!" Yang Ming yelled and ran down the hallway, slamming himself squarely against the door to stop her from exiting.

Luckily, he got there and Lan stopped. "You can't go outside!"

"Why not?" she demanded to know.

"For one, you're still wearing pajamas." Looking down at herself, she realized that was true,

and even that they had become a bit small, she could feel the material tearing at her arms, legs and chest.

Scratching the back of her head, Lan laughed at herself embarrassed and turned around, wanting to head back.

"Besides, you're Prince." Yang Ming told her, watching her receeding back. "You are _Second Life_'s spokesperson!

Nobody has ever seen you in real life, can you not imagine the chaos that could ensue if you suddenly show your face openly in public?

And even if you meet people who don't play _Second Life_, they'd instantly crowd around you, considering your super good looks."

He grumbled slightly at the last part, like he knew that it was true but hated to admit it.

Understanding the points he was making, Lan stopped dead in the living room and sighed.

"I know what you mean, but... I really need to go somewhere. And what about school?" she asked, knowing how utterly stupid that sounded.

"Maybe you should just skip school for today?" sighing, he studied her profile. "Where do you need to go so badly?"

"None of your business!" she snapped, turning away with a slight blush. "Just ... somewhere, okay?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Yang Ming decided to not ask anymore and went into his room to change,

making a quick pit-stop in the bathroom to get something to tie his hair up.

Thinking of doing the same, Lan headed for her room as well but stopped dead in the doorway.

She just realized a huge problem that needed to be solved before she could go anywhere...

"Brother, dearest~" she cooed when she went and stood in front of his closed door,

although she had to wonder what it must look like for Prince to have such a begging and pleading expression on his face

and calling out with such an adorably cute voice. "Would you be so wonderfully kind to lend me some clothes for today?"

She heard him give an annoyed sigh. "Fine. Just wait a minute."

* * *

><p>Several minutes later, 'Prince' was now dressed in her brother's clothes.<p>

Tugging the black shirt into the same colored pants, she put on the jeans jacket that was still lying on the bed.

When she left her room again, Yang Ming was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

"It's so weird to see my sister in my clothes." he said and stretched. "Anyway, hope you won't create chaos anywhere."

"Weird to see you with the typical Wu Qing ponytail." she retorted and put her hand into the cupboard in the hallway,

rummaging around in it. Finding a blue-white cap, she ran her fingers through her hair and put it on, trying to get most of the hair hidden beneath it.

"Well? Do I still look like Prince?" she asked, pulling the bill a bit lower to cover her face.

"Yes." Yang Ming told her and sighed. "Hopefully, you'll be gone so fast they'll notice it when it's too late."

"Trust me, I don't want repeats of what happened in _Second Life_. Seriously, getting glomped by rabid fangirls is _not_ fun."

"Whatever. I'm going." her brother said and gave a last wave, before leaving.

Heading into her room again, Prince grabbed and put on her wristwatch,

almost cutting the blood circulation off because she was just too used to her usually slender wrist.

Correcting that, she took a curious peek into the corridor and then exited her home,

locking the door behind her. The whole way down to the close-by bus stop,

she kept throwing glances around, pulling the bill low to avoid eyecontact with anyone who might pass her.

When she got out on the street, though, she stood still for a minute, taking in the picture.

Almost everyone had turned into their _Second Life_ character. Some didn't look any different,

but she easily recognized her neighbors - especially the man living two doors down who owned a little grocery shop,

although the voluminous head of hair was completely new to her.

Or even the lady who had a tribal tatoo over the left side of her face which was conveniently covering up her burn scars

which came from the time when she fell asleep with a cigarette in her mouth and almost lost her home and hair.

She had become a non-smoker ever since.

As Prince got to the bus stop, though, she tried to act as casually as she could.

If she kept glancing around and adjusting the cap, people would just stare more at her and the chance of somebody realizing she was Prince was higher.

But once she got on the bus, she felt her usual Prince attitude beginning to take over and stood completely relaxed,

just throwing a glance at her surroundings now and then.

Especially the younger players of _Second Life_ seemed to take advantage of the option to change their haircolor.

A group of giggling girls in the back looked like a rainbow with at least two bright blondes and even purple mixed in there.

"_Next stop, XX University - East Entrance._" said the bus driver over the intercom, although it was hard to understand his growl and to not stare at him,

since he was an almost seven feet tall beastman and had to drive hunched over so he wouldn't scrape the top of the bus with his head.

Carelessly watching the rainbow girls and other students exit the bus, Prince waited for the bus to keep going.

Even though she tried to be as inconspicuous as she could,

she still felt stares in her direction, and she was pretty sure she had been the latest topic of conversation with that group of girls.

Thank her elven ears for that... luckily, they were gone now and not a potential threat.

When most of the students got off the bus when it reached the main entrance of the university,

Prince still didn't leave, knowing how stupid it would be to use that entrance.

She knew from her first experiences when playing _Second Life_ as a hot guy that open places filled with tons of people were a bad idea.

She still felt shivers running down her spine when she remembered the hours she wasted, running away from love-hungry women.

"_XX University - West Entrance!_" the bus driver almost bellowed, coughing rather embarrassed afterwards.

Instantly reminded of Wolf-dage's loud voice that could immediately calm the noisiest room, Prince got off the bus and stretched.

Nobody except her had left the bus, mostly because the only things found on the western side of the university were the sportsfield and swimming tracks.

Unless it was summer and a student had clubpractice, the west entrance was usually deserted - perfect for her to sneak in!

As Prince was walking along the long white wall towards the entrance, she wondered about the problems in _Second Life_

and about the players whose characters had been permanently deleted from the game.

Would they also change their appearance? Probably not, since the gaming headband merely stated an error message on the display,

if somebody with no account or a suspended one attempted to log in. It was probably the same with deleted characters.

Turning her head towards the building still hidden behind the wall, she felt excitement rising inside her.

In there was someone who had lost his character - out of their own reckless ideas.

Feeling a grin tugging at her lips, Prince's feet began to walk faster and faster,

until she was pretty much running along the wall and made a sharp turn at the west entrance, running straight across the entire yard.

Past students who she probably knew from sight but couldn't quite place,

ignoring the now and then eye-glaringly bright haircolor or the few students who had chosen beasts or spirits as their character's race,

poking out of a crowd by being either taller than average or almost invisibly small. Even teachers.

She barely recognized the volleyball coach's face because of the demonic wings having replaced her ears, before dashing past her.

But just as Prince was about to make a sharp turn and get inside the building, the student number having increased, she knocked into a girl who almost fell.

Embracing her for a minute to stop her from falling to the ground, Prince then stepped back and kept her hands on her shoulders.

"I'm sorry. Entirely my fault." she said and made a side-step around her. The girl stared at her and watched as Prince began to run again,

not noticing or caring that the cap, which had gotten loose from the impact, fell off. "See ya!"

With a small wave, Prince kept running down the halls, hearing the cries and exclamations about her getting louder

and probably not realizing that her identity had just been revealed.

"Hey, that guy looked familiar...", "Wasn't that Prince?", "Eh, Second Life's spokesperson?", "More like Blood Elf.",

"Oh my gosh, Prince!", "Prince, really? What's he doing here?", "Prince~!"

All sorts of cheers or questions were thrown around and within seconds, an omnious feeling rising in Prince,

a large crowd of girls was running after her, calling out things to her.

Ignoring them, Prince took three stairs at once as she reached the staircase and ran up to the second floor, down the hall and reaching her classroom.

"Gui!" she called out.

* * *

><p>Looking up from the papers he had been shuffling, Min threw a curious glance at the handful of students already present and then heard his name being called again,<p>

this time from the hall. Hearing the rumble of dozens of feet running down the hall, he was afraid a gaggle of girls was about to crash in,

trying to get a good look at his in-game appearance. How very disappointed they'd be, considering his character was gone.

Then, skidding to a halt with a slight jump, Prince stopped in the open doorway, looking hot and out of breath from running.

"Gui!" Staring at each other for a second, Min almost dropped the papers in his hand.

"P-Prince...?" he asked, wondering if the entire day was a fake and he was merely dreaming.

"Gui...!"

"Your Highness!"

Oblivious to the seated students or the wild horde of girls that had just reached the doorway,

Prince started towards Min with an almost indescribeable face expression and Min turned slightly, beginning to spread his arms,

ready to embrace Prince. It was like in every romance movie anyone had ever watched. Even as they watched,

the students could almost _see_ it happening in slow-motion, could imagine the cheesy violin music playing in the background

and a blurry filter making everything look softer. And then they saw Prince's hand pulling back...

And Prince landed a punch against Min's cheek which sent him into a stumble, crashing against the chair behind him and falling over it,

landing painfully with the chair on the floor with Prince standing over him.

"YOU ABSOLUTE IDIOT!" Prince yelled, staring down at her teacher who was using his one arm to sit up slightly and holding his throbbing cheek with the other.

The students stood up, trying to see over the desk that was obscuring their vision of the entire scene slightly.

"USING _ND_ ON YOURSELF, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?" she snapped, her voice rebounding against the walls

and making her sound all the more imposing. "THERE WAS NO NEED TO DO THAT! I TOLD YOU TO NOT USE IT!"

"P-Prince, Poseidon and Clay Child-"

"WE COULD'VE RUN FOR IT! INSTEAD, YOU TIE ME UP AND SACRIFICE YOURSELF! FOR WHAT? WAS IT FOR ME?

YOU KNEW THAT WOULDN'T MAKE ME HAPPY!" screaming out all the anger and frustration she had felt when, just after Wicked had sacrificed himself to save her,

Gui had disappeared in that huge explosion, taking two strong enemies with him.

"Dammit, Gui, I begged and pleaded with you... and you still..."

Something most of them thought they'd never see - Prince crying - was happening in front of them.

Her voice had been cracking all throughout her little 'speech' but only during the final bit had tears begun to escape

and now two almost steady rivers were cascading down that alabaster-like skin.

Trying to gulp down the next stream of tears, Prince made a start forwards and grabbed Min's arm,

pulling him up slightly and sank down to the floor herself, throwing her arms around Min's chest and embracing him, her fingers clawing into his shirt.

"Be glad this isn't _Second Life_," Prince cried into his shoulder, hiding her face. "I'd have beaten you several levels down."

"Prince..." Min whispered, putting his arms around her. "I'm sorry."

A general scraping and creaking of furniture went through the room during that last part.

All the present students of the class had gone on the tip of their toes and finally stood on their chairs or desks to see what was going on

behind the teacher's desk and saw the two embracing, Prince's shoulders still trembling while she cried.

Completely forgetting about everything else, Prince just let out all the grief she had pent up inside of her,

while Min realized just how much he had hurt Prince by using ND.

They didn't know how long they remained like that, they didn't even know any time was passing, but finally Prince's tears ceased and they didn't move.

"Sorry to bother you two Having A Moment," a voice suddenly rang out loudly, causing the two to jump apart. "but don't you have something to teach us~?"

Looking up, Prince saw - and already made plans for later revenge - Yun bending down towards them,

not to mention the other students who were still looking from their respective high places.

Yun, having been late for class, had seen a large crowd in front of the classroom and wondered what was going on and,

after getting through the crowd, saw Prince and Min embracing tightly. He was already cursing himself for being late and having missed the spectacle.

Both of them very red around the cheeks, not to mention the slowly drying tearspots on Min's shirt, the two drew apart and stood up,

Prince coughing slightly, staring at the floor.

"Anyway..." Prince said, putting her hand on Min's shoulder and let a piece of paper rolled up into a tight little ball

fall into his shirt pocket. "That was what I had to say."

Giving the students, who quickly climbed down from the furniture, a little wave she walked over to the doorway where all the girls were still standing,

staring either dumbstruck or heavily cooing to each other over what had happened.

One of the girls in front was the one she had collided with in the hall and she held the blue-white cap in her hands and,

seeing Prince approach, held it towards it.

"Ah, I lost that, right. Thank you." she said in her usual bedazzling manner and took it, smiling widely.

On cue, all the girls in the doorway sighed heavily and collapsed into a huge pile of lovestruck jelly.

Still smiling, Prince put the cap back on and wanted to continue on her way home.

"What, after coming all the way here, you're going home?" somebody called after her and, turning,

she saw her brother smirking at her. Giving a fake sigh, she shrugged her shoulders.

"I'd love to stay for the lesson, but if I did, I'd be worried that they" she answered, pointing at the pile of women to her feet,

and turned to leave again. "were to come in and disrupt class."

"Prince..."

"Call me!" she called back when she heard Min say her name again.

Walking as gracefully as she could, in case anybody was watching, she made it down half of the hallway

when the women-pile regained its senses and jumped up, rushing after her, calling out again for some attention.

"Oh damn it!" she yelled, deciding to run for her life and virtue, even if it meant running the entire stretch home!

* * *

><p>This chapter took me a bit longer. Sorry about that.<br>I gues because I took an hour to sketch two Lan versions for last chapter's drawn version.  
>I drew Lan as she appears in the manhua and the way I saw her in the novel artbook.<br>For this chapter, I used her and she for Prince since it _is_ Prince, but not quite fully...  
>Considering how we are not in <em>Second Life<em>, I didn't want to write Lan and you'd imagine all that happening with her.  
>And, um, yes she gave Min her phone number at the end... and <em>Second Life<em> managed to correct the problem,  
>everything went back to normal.<br>Oh and, in case you were wondering,... Prince was not wearing underwear when the clothes got changed.  
>Why? Because I somehow thought Yang Ming didn't want to have to deal with the thought that his sister was wearing<br>his underwear... Yes, Ladies. _Prince was going commando_!


	4. Chocolate!

Oh god, already beginning to run out of ideas...!  
>It can't be, my head is full of Half Prince!<br>But somehow, I can't get enough GuixPrince ideas. At least none that are long enough for chapters.

**Chocolate!**

'Oh no... the dreaded holiday.  
>The thing Prince had been worried about since he began playing Second Life as a guy.<br>But with plans as Lan, she can't help but... go online first.'

* * *

><p>The meeting of the Odd Squad was in full swing. The six players were sitting at the large wooden table,<p>

each with a small stack of papers in front of them and talking business. Yu Lian, pushing her glasses up her nose,

led the discussions with an iron hand, talking about budgets and what that meant for them, the city and other players.

But then Gui threw in the issue about the city's needed extensions - for example, the concept of building something like a hospital,

where a group of priests and other healers would be, helping players that came in by healing them, against payment of course.

And they discussed about that for about an hour.

But during that entire charade, Prince wasn't paying any attention. He was leaning back in his chair,

staring absently-minded out the window with his head resting on his hand and flicking his finger against his cheek now and then.

His mind was stuck several hours ago, when he had fun with Kenshin, slaughtering monsters left, right and center,

going from one dungeon to another. And the warm sunlight spilling into the room, warming everyone, wasn't helping.

He thought he could hear cicadas chirping in the distance and felt his mind wandering to an imaginary scenery,

where he was lying without a care in a large tree's shadow and taking a nap, maybe with a full picnic basket next to him.

"-ith the new patch, wait till afterwards-" Lolidragon's voice began to stir his mind.

"New Patch?" Prince asked, snapped out of his thoughts and imagination, staring at his team members.

They were all quiet, staring back at him until the glint of Yu Lian's glasses, which she pushed up her nose again,

caught his eye and gave him a very frightening feeling in his spine.

"I hope you are not confessing that you _weren't listening_, were you?" she asked sweetly, but her voice held an icy note to it.

"The patch, Prince, the patch." Lolidragon said, shrugging her shoulders. "For Valentine's Day."

"Valentine's!" he gasped, almost jumping out of his seat. "It's Valentine's Day?"

"No, it's tomorrow."

Trembling horribly, Prince stood up from his chair, staring with shocked eyes at the table's surface. "I... I will not come online tomorrow!"

"What?" Gui flinched when he heard that, looking horrified. "Your Highness, why not?"

The elf wasn't listening to him, slapping his hand over his face and feeling a cold sheen of sweat running down his forehead.

He completely forgot about Valentine's Day coming up. It certainly explained things.

It explained the sudden, dramatic increase in PMs he got from random female players - despite being used to getting them,

he simply deleted them since most of them had either 'Prince~' or similiar, brain-dead headlines as the subject.

He used to read them or take curious glances at them, but realizing that barely any contained any information he needed,

he stopped caring and deleted all that weren't from his team members or friends and family.

Now that he thought about it, they were probably confessions of love or requests to spend Valentine's Day with him,

maybe even two or three impertinent nutcases who dared to ask for his home address or to meet him in real life for dates!

Prince left the table and was heading towards the door, "I need some fresh air!"

Heading into his personal chambers, Prince wondered why he didn't remember Valentine's Day until just then.

Okay, Gui's PMs had been increasing over the last week, too, but considering how he was so used to hearing confessions from the bard,

he hadn't thought anything was out of the ordinary. Especially during the day,

although in his Professor Mode, Gui was completely different, anyhow.

Before Prince could wonder any longer, he heard his alarm clock ringing in his ear and logged off, waking up.

* * *

><p>Taking the gaming headband off, Lan tried to keep her eyes open and turned to look at her alarm clock,<p>

smacking it with one hand to shut up. Wait, 4 am? What the hell was her alarm doing, ringing three hours early!

Bending over further to her bedside table, she saw a white piece of paper she'd put there before going to bed.

'_The chocolates, dummy! That's why!_' it said at the top and a list of names written underneath.

Sitting up, Lan stared at the note and scratched her head.

Apparently, she had known she'd forget why she was getting up early and written herself a note as a reminder.

And actually didn't forget about Valentine's Day - just that playing _Second Life_ had been so much fun,

she paid it no mind once she logged on.

Sighing and yawning, Lan stretched and teetered across the floor that felt cold to her toes into the kitchen,

turning lights on as she walked through the apartment. As she was tying the apron around her,

she took a glance at the list of people she was going to make chocolates for.

Yang Ming and her parents. Fair enough, they got something every year - poor little brother,

he pretended to be annoyed whenever she gave him some,

but she knew that if it was a year where he didn't get anything on Valentine's, he'd still have _some_ chocolates to eat.

As for her parents' chocolates, she'd better put those in the freezer.

Considering the amount of long honeymoons those two kept going on, they'd take even longer now,

what with Valentine's Day... it might be another month before those two were to return to their nest.

Zhuo-gege, too... well, she's made him some for every year when he was still around, but once he was gone...

Although now that he was back, it would feel weird to not make any for him. Unless he got the absolutely wrong idea.

Lan stopped when she saw the last name on the list - Gui.

Wait, why did she want to give chocolate to the bard? Unless, writing Gui, she had meant Professor Min.

But then, they were the same person... ignoring the blatant differences between their real life and in-game personality.

Wondering why she had written his name, Lan pondered about it for a while - maybe she had had a good reason to do so,

when she was going to bed. But after waking up, she forgot.

Shrugging her shoulders, Lan decided to not think about it any longer and just get to making already.

And all the while she was making the chocolates, with some little 'tasting' moments in between,

she also prepared breakfast as time passed.

"Si~is, I'm hu-whoa, you're up early!" Yang Ming gasped almost three hours later, when he got up and slouched towards the kitchen,

led more by his growling stomach than his feet.

And as soon as he sat down at the table, Lan put a plate full of scrambled eggs and toast in front of him.

Also a little square green box with a see-through top next to it, filled with the coconut-covered truffles in them.

"Yours. For Valentine's." she said and sat down with her own breakfast plate. "Go ahead and present them around,

making everyone think you're popular. You will, anyway."

Yang Ming coughed slightly into his eggs when his sister voiced his ingenious plan on making other guys jealous.

* * *

><p>When Lan got to the university, she made a short detour to Zhuo-gege's shoelocker and dropped the chocolate box inside,<p>

then changed her own shoes and was on her way to her next destination.

Passing the staircase she always took to reach her classroom, Lan continued down the hall,

took a left turn and down another hall and finally reached the infirmary. Opening the door, she peeked inside.

Tian Lang was there, checking the supplies in the cupboards, jotting down things on a clipboard.

"Wolf-dage!" Lan said and entered, shutting the door behind herself.

"Mh? Ah, Feng Lan." Tian answered when he looked over at her, closing the cupboard. "What is it? Feeling ill?"

"This!" she pulled a box out of her bag that looked almost identical to the one she gave her brother, except this one was gray.

Taking the chocolates from her, he looked a bit surprised for a moment and then smiled. "Thank you."

Lan grinned, amazed at how she saw Ugly Wolf so well in him when he smiled like that. Waving, she left again,

happy to cross another person off her list.

Heading back the way she came, on her way to her classroom, she wondered how to give Gui his chocolates.

As she got to the top of the stairs, she stopped, seeing Min a few meters ahead of her.

Wondering if she should snag him before he entered the classroom, Lan saw a girl running down the hall from the opposite end.

"Professor Min~!" she called out, clutching something that overflowed with white and red twirling ribbons to her chest and rushed towards him.

Stopping, Min waited for her to reach him, allowing annoyance to fleet across his face for a minute, before putting on a polite smile.

"Sir, I would... I mean, Valentine..." the girl stuttered as she stood in front of him.

She nervously scraped her feet on the ground, shyly looking away before looking back at him and repeating the process,

brushing locks of hair behind her ear again. Either she was extremely nervous or she was severely exagerrating on the Shy Girl part,

which Lan couldn't stand. As Prince, she already had to deal with people like that and the first time it happened,

it had pissed her off so much she had sent that little bitch flying back to the Rebirth Point.

Which, sadly, did _not_ scare others off, no, it seemed to just encourage them!

"What is it, Hyu Lin?" Min asked, smiling gently - although from Lan's position, she could see a small nerve tugging at the corner of his

mouth. The last time she had seen that was during the Adventurer's Tournament and Gui had gone berserk with fury and the help of his pet, Fire Phoenix.

Unable to do anything except admire Min's control, Lan watched the rest of the scene play out.

"I... I would be really happy if you accepted this, Sir!" the girl suddenly screeched, holding out the pink box with the overflowing ribbons.

"I'm sorry, it's forbidden to accept any direct gifts." Min shot her down with icy manners and a warm smile. "Outside of the teachers' lounge.

There's a box for each teacher and any gift must be dropped off there."

"Ah, I-I will...!" she said and left, devastated.

Once she was out of sight, Min let out a huge sigh and looked for a minute like a marionette whose threads had been cut.

Then he ran his hand through his hair and continued down the hall and entered the classroom.

Meanwhile, Lan was taking in the news.

Accepting direct gifts was forbidden...

"Shame on you, Gui." she grinned, her mannerism as Prince openly revealing itself. Shrugging her shoulders in an exasperated manner,

she slendered down the hall, unsure whether she should laugh at Gui or feel sorry for him.

Not accepting gifts given directly, what bullshit. Wolf took her gift without mentioning anything about that - but then,

knowing the trouble it caused to be too handsome and getting stalked by others, Lan could understand why he'd come up with that lie.

Entering the classroom, Lan took in the atmosphere as she took her seat.

Min was standing at his desk, shuffling papers and preparing the lesson, looking normal. But something was bothering him,

like a huge weight was on top of his shoulders. Glancing at the girls in class, almost all of them had a look in their eyes.

Staring at him, like he was a prized possession to obtain, ready to be snatched by anyone and devoured.

'_Must give him my gift!_' was written all over their faces. No mercy, no friendship between girls.

This day, no matter what connection friends or sisters had, every girl for herself in order to give gifts.

But, a natural timidness or reluctance in them stopped them from crowding around his desk, giving him chocolates wrapped in boxes,

bonbon glasses or other shapes. And Min knew that. Otherwise, he would probably have feigned a sickness to not teach for the day.

"Hey, Lan!" Jing said when she took her seat next to her and Yun to Lan's other side.

"Hey guys." she said and produced an orange and a pink box, giving one to Yun and the other to Jing.

"Oh, Lan, you sweetheart~!" Jing cooed, hugging her friend and swaying around. "If I weren't so bad at baking, I'd have some for you, too~!"

Yun, who had been watching the other students - and probably secretly laughing at Min's misery,

nudged Lan's arm and pointed to the back row, where her brother was sitting, the green box of chocolates almost presenting itself on his desk.

Knowing what he wanted to know, Lan nodded, admitting that Yang Ming's proudly presented chocolates came not from an admirer, but from his sister.

Trying to refrain from laughing out loud and revealing that fact, Yun turned towards the front of the class.

Rapping his knuckles a few times against the blackboard, Min got the class to quiet down and pay attention, starting class.

The silence in the room, except for Min's talking, was heavy.

None of the girls were listening, glareing the message '_Take my chocolates!_' into his back and not giving a damn about literature.

Meanwhile, the guys weren't listening, looking dejectedly at the girls who were staring at Min, feeling jealous at the professor for taking 'their' girls away.

Lan, though, tried to pay attention. But her mind was busy thinking up ways to give him the chocolates she made.

Granted, she still couldn't remember why she had put Gui's name onto the list of people to give something to.

And she didn't want him to know that she was giving him anything. Maybe she should put the gifts into that box... if it really existed!

Such and similar thoughts went through her head during the lesson.

While she was contemplating of heading to the teachers' lounge during break,

she decided not to when almost every girl from her class disappeared in a flash down the hallways when the bell rang.

So the chocolates for Gui remained in her bag for the rest of the day.

Hesitating for a second, Lan decided to take the tour past the teachers' lounge to leave school.

With her bag casually thrown over her shoulder, she walked down the halls and tried to look like she wasn't planning anything.

And even if the box was there, she couldn't put the gift in with others around.

Worst case scenario, every teacher was there and Min would appear as well, just as she was about to put them in!

Rounding the corner to the last hallway leading to the teachers' lounge, Lan kept walking and stopped dead at the end of the hallway,

staring at the two trashcans just before the corner where the first door to the right was the teachers' lounge.

The trashcans.

They were overflowing.

Looking down the rest of the hallway she had cleared, the lids of the other trashcans were properly in place,

looking like they were completely empty, but the last two trashcans were spilling out pink and lavender all over the place.

It's like they had been force fed with bright colors, finally ending it by puking it all out.

Staring at the pink, white or red and even some lavender boxes, their ribbons torn and paper ripped off,

little heart- or starshaped stamps on the floor, Lan had a suspicion.

Leaning over and peeking around the corner, she saw it - the metal cupboard made up of various boxes, all with the name of a teacher on them.

Every one of the boxes had something in it and, what looked very strange for a second, only a single one in Min's box.

"Just like a cuckoo..." she muttered fearfully under her breath, visualizing the many female students who had probably come down before her.

They had come here, ready to shine out to Min by giving him a gift for Valentine's Day and found the disaster... a gift already in his box.

And not wanting to be overshadowed by someone else, wanting to be the _only_ one whose gift he took,

had taken the gift out and thrown it into the nearest trashcan, replacing the gift with their own in his box.

And that had happened with that person's gift by the next one, and so on until this had happened.

"Aw, hell no..." Lan sighed, shrugging her shoulders and wandering off the way she had come.

What a disgusting thing to do! Throwing away the gift somebody had painstakingly prepared, probably even putting their love in,

all that work just so their gift would be thrown out of the target's 'nest' to end up in a trashcan where nobody would eat it.

She had put too much work into her chocolates herself, she was _not_ going to take the risk of putting it in the box and having it thrown away!

* * *

><p>Lan closed the door behind herself and sighed.<p>

After finding out that the girls had all turned into cuckoos and were replacing gifts with gifts, she had gone home.

With the chocolates still in her bag. Granted, she had considered for a moment to wait for Min in front of school to give him the gift personally,

but he probably wouldn't have taken it and she still remained clear to the fact that she didn't want him to know about the chocolates, anyway.

Although she was wondering if he would even react to the tossed away gifts.

It was pretty hard to miss them, after all.

Before Yang Ming, who was sitting on the couch watching TV, could say anything, Lan already waved him off and headed for the kitchen.

Hearing the loud clang from the frying pan hitting the stove and the banging of opening and closing cupboards,

Yang Ming worried about his sister. Walking into the kitchen, he stared as she grabbed random things from the fridge.

Sighing heavily, Yang Ming knew she was in a bad mood - because, whenever she was in a bad mood, Lan didn't know what to cook.

And when that happened, she took random ingredients that crossed her way and shoved them into the frying pan,

mixing in any spice or herb that her hands could get to on the spice racks.

Such occassional meals he called 'Pot of Luck' because he was never sure _what_ he would find in there!

"Sis, ...did you get rejected?" he asked and froze on the spot when Lan turned towards him, a murderous look in her eyes.

"Get... out...!" she growled, holding the large knife in her hand with which she was preparing to cut the lettuce.

Knowing better than to endanger his life any further, Yang Ming disappeared from the kitchen right away and answered the ringing phone.

Not paying attention, Lan continued to cut the lettuce and, when she heard her brother approaching her, literally hacked the cucumber in half.

"Phone for you..." he muttered, holding the phone out.

Taking it, Lan glared at him and stuck the phone under her ear, returning to cooking with both hands. "Yes?"

"_Xiao Lan?_" Zhuo-gege's voice asked concerned. "_You sound... well, not that good. Something wrong?_"

"Nothing that concerns you." she answered, trying to take her bad mood out on the food and not him. "Anyway, what is it?"

"_I just wanted to thank you for the chocolates._" he told her, his voice swinging with happiness. "_It's been years since I got some from you._"

Lan was quiet for a while, thinking of the chocolates she had given him and remembering other girls commenting on Zhuo's good looks.

Throwing the cut lettuce and cucumber into a huge salad bowl, she wondered about something.

"You got lots of chocolates, didn't you?" she asked, although there had been nothing when she had put hers in. She had been the first, maybe.

"_Yes. Ah, but yours are the only ones I'll actually eat-_"

"Zhuo-gege!" she yelled, squashing the tomato she had in her hand. "Don't you dare!"

"_W-what?_"

"All the girls who put their hearts into those chocolates they made for you! They probably lost sleep over the time it took to make them,

even what shape and color box to pick for you! Don't let their work go to waste! You'd better eat them ALL...!" she snapped at him.

"_O-okay... I will do that. But I will only actually enjoy eating yours._" Zhuo answered and said goodbye, hanging up.

"YANG!" she bellowed through the entire apartment and her twin appeared almost instantly, albeit looking scared.

Yang stared at his sister, at that creepy picture she was giving off. The phone was still clamped between ear and shoulder,

she was turned halfway towards him and her eyes were like daggers, a large and very sharp knife in her right hand

and the dead remains of a tomato in her left which was still clamped to a fist, the juice running down her arm and dripping on the floor.

Knowing what she wanted, Yang approached her carefully, took the phone and hung up and returned it to its cradle while Lan returned to cooking.

Dinner was a rather subdued thing.

Granted, the salad was beautiful and the stirfry wonderfully flavored - although some things looked completely out of place.

Not daring to anger his sister any more, and since he was hungry, Yang Ming ate without complaint.

After dinner and doing the dishes, Lan was sitting on her bed and glared at her bag, still with those damn chocolates in them.

She had no idea how to get these to Gui now and she didn't want to eat them herself.

Somehow, the sight of those overflowing trashcans had put her off chocolate for a while.

If she didn't do anything, they'd end up going bad and thrown away.

"How to get this to him...?" she wondered out loud, staring at the ceiling like it was the answer.

Automatically, her eyes travelled over to the gaming headband... maybe she could ask him...?

"No! I will not put myself into that horrible situation...!" she told herself, knowing what was awaiting her if she went online.

Lovestruck, insane fans screaming Prince's name, following him all over the place and not even being concerned with privacy or modesty anymore!

Today was definitely not a day for her to be online! Her team members were sure to understand that...

Or not, considering how she had left the meeting, supposedly to get some fresh air and had logged off, being absent since then.

Well, Lolidragon might understand her absence for the day... while holding her stomach, hurting from laughter.

Getting an idea, Lan jumped off her bed and walked down the hall, throwing open her brother's room's door...

seeing him fast asleep in bed, his own gaming headband over his eyes.

"That jerk already logged on...!" she grumbled and returned to her room, banging the door shut.

Annoyed, Lan put the gaming headband on and cursed her brother's future children into oblivion for forcing her to do this!

Settling down in her bed, Lan tried to log on fast and get this over with.

* * *

><p><em>(System Announcement: Player 'Prince' has logged in.)<em>

"OH CRA-" Prince stopped himself just in time, slapping his hand over his mouth and looked around frantically for a living soul.

No one was in his close vicinity. Maybe, if he was lucky, he could run into a hiding spot and not have to deal with...

"I FOUND PRINCE!" some random female player's voice rang out as she rounded the corner and saw him, pointing with her finger and yelling as loudly as she could.

Rumbling footsteps. Getting closer.

Like through teleportation, suddenly a group of at least one hundred women was with the initial yeller, all their eyes glued on Prince.

Running as fast as he could, Prince had begun moving before they had appeared, but they seemed so fast...!

Instantly blocking all incoming PMs except ones from his team members, Prince at least stopped the insistent _ping_ from the floods of PMs,

then returned his full attention to pumping his legs as fast as he could.

Wishing he could block people from talking normally at him, his already sensitive elven ears were ringing with screams

and squeals from the women, wondering if he should suggest that - no, **demand** that feature to be added in by telling Lolidragon about it.

Screw not blocking people in reality, this was still a matter of life and death.

Daring to take a look over his shoulder, Prince felt like screaming when he saw the almost bloodthirsty eyes of those women-no, those** wolves**!

He didn't want to know what they were going to do to him if they got even a finger on him, so he tried to lose them in the sheer size of the castle,

even doing the stupid thing of rushing into the open city to lose them... resulting in even **more** fans following him!

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!" he yelled as he was escaping, seeing only pink and red blurs of decorations all over the city,

he thought he had rushed past Wicked who had lifted his hand as a greeting. Hoping that Wicked understood it if he was ignoring him,

Prince jumped over a barrel in his way and took a sharp turn to the right, the horde of monstrous lovers still after him.

Thank god he had such high agility!

... and then he realized he had run into a dead end. He was _so_ blaming Gui for not building the extensions to the city yet,

he was even putting blame on _Yu Lian_ who refused to fund things immediately! Looking left and right for a way to escape,

Prince heard the fans approaching.

"Mommy! Mommy, Meatbun-bun wants to help you!" Meatbun's high pitched voice came from his pocket.

"Really? You do?" he asked, close to crying and took him out, holding him in his hand. "Then please _hurry_!"

Meatbun puffed himself up and his bamboo-flyers popped out of his head, whirring like mad and picking Prince off the ground.

Prince watched as the crowd reached the dead end and didn't see him, wondering where he had gone to.

Meatbun must've been using all his powers because he flew Prince around a corner at a speed that was unimaginable for his size,

but finally puffed and they lost quickly on height. Landing with a thud on his feet, Prince cradled his pet in his hands.

"Meatbun, are you okay?"

"Did Meatbun-bun do good?" the little meatbun asked, his eyes rolling.

"You did really good. Thank you so much for your help."

Meatbun looked happy at that and regained its energy, jumping on Prince's palm. "Can I go see Firebirdy now~?"

"Sure you can." Prince said. "I was going to... RUN!" he yelled, seeing a new swarm of fans rushing after him.

Gripping Meatbun tightly, he ran back towards the castle. Damn, he couldn't think of any place to really hide from them...!

"Mommy, Gui's office is just ahead~!" Meatbun muffled from his hands.

"It is?" Prince asked and dimly recognized the place. If Gui's office was close-by, then so was... perfect!

Almost tripping when he took a sharp left turn at the threeway split ahead, his ankle protesting, Prince ran down the corridor.

"Mommy, Gui's office was to the ri-"

"Shhh~" Prince muttered, holding Meatbun's mouth shut with his thumb and opened the second door on the left, jumped into the room and closed the door.

He was in one of the many bedrooms they had built, since more and more people joined Infinite City,

with about ten single beds in the room and four wardrobes.

Not resting, Prince jumped into the first wardrobe on his left and closed it.

Completely cramped, he frantically touched all the knobs for cloaks and jackets he could feel.

Then, he felt the hook he wanted, pushed it and the back of the wardrobe fell backwards, revealing a little hallway behind it.

Walking into the secret hallway, he picked the back of the wardrobe up and pushed it back and opened the door at the back of the hallway.

The room wasn't very big and the sparse furniture featured a bed and a desk, among other things, but at least it was quiet.

Sighing heavily, Prince closed the door behind himself and almost let himself fall on the floor, exhausted.

Letting go of Meatbun, the little pet jumped off its owner's hand and jumped around the floor and on the green rug.

"What is this?" he asked, filled with excitement and curiosity.

"A secret room." Prince told him, catching his breath. "I needed a place to get away from everyone, so I asked Gui to build one."

"But... what about Mommy's room? In the tower?" Meatbun wondered, thinking of that richly decorated room. "That's off-limits, right?"

"To some, but the team can come in easily." Prince nodded. "Gui and I are the only ones who know of this room."

The elf pulled himself to the bed and landed on it with a sigh, putting his ankle up high and wincing.

Meatbun jumped up onto the bed and looked at the elf with tears forming in his eyes. "Mommy, are you hurt...?"

"Probably sprained my ankle... ah, but it's okay, Meatbun." Prince comforted him, not wanting to drown in his pet's tears. "It barely hurts."

Flopping onto his back, Prince took a minute to calm down.

"_Gui?_"

"_Your Highness~! Why have you not answered any of my PMs~?_" Gui's pitiful whine came over the PM channel.

"_I got chased._"

"_That's why! If you had told me where you were, I could've protected you._"

Remembering what his fans had wanted to do when they thought he and Gui were a couple, although they were probably still thinking that,

Prince couldn't help but wonder what they would've done if Gui had attempted to stand in their way on Valentine's Day.

"_I was all over the place - it would've been a wild goose chase for you to find me._" Prince sighed. "_Anyway, come to the secret room. I have a question._"

"_Of course!_"

Thinking that it might take a while for Gui to come, Prince decided to rest and relax until he was here, watching Meatbun jump on his stomach or on the bed.

"Mommy, I wanna see Firebirdy~"

"Gui will be here soon, I'm sure Fire Phoenix will be, too." Prince consoled him.

* * *

><p>When the door opened after some time and Gui entered, Prince sat up in the bed.<p>

Meatbun was faster, though, jumping onto the ground and bouncing up and down in front of the bard.

"Firebirdy~, Firebirdy~" he kept saying and Gui obliged, making the phoenix appear and the two pets immediately began their 'Fly~ Fly~' game.

Gui's eyes immediately wandered to the elf on the bed and saw him getting up, walking towards him.

Prince's ankle, though, didn't like having weight put on him and the elf swayed for a second,

the perfect amount of time it took Gui to throw his arms around him.

"Your Highness, I am so happy to see you~!" he said, holding Prince tightly in his arms and lifting him up, swaying around. "Especially after yesterday,

you said you wouldn't come online. I was so worried what to do if you weren't there for the second-most important day of the year-"

"Don't abuse my exhausted state...!" Prince muttered angrily, still too tired after the escaping to really fight him off. "Put me down."

Doing so, Prince's feet regained contact with the floor and the ankle shot a stab up his spine. "Ow...!"

"I'm sorry, Your Highness...!" Gui said, seeing Prince's pained expression.

Trying to control the pain, Prince was quiet and Gui were quiet, the latter watching the elf.

Concerned about the silence, Prince looked up at Gui and saw the bard staring deeply back at him.

Tugging him closer to himself, Gui put a hand against Prince's cheek and leaned down,

beginning to close his eyes... and got Prince's hand shoved into his face.

"...Prince, you can't hold it against me. You've asked me to meet you in a room only we two know about on Valentine's Day..."

"Yeah, well, I'm telling you No." he retorted, his face flushed with red. "I only wanted to ask you something."

Feeling Gui's grip loosening, Prince shook him off and stepped back, making sure to put as little weight as possible on his ankle.

Gui coughed, his own cheeks flushed. "What is it?"

Prince blushed furiously and looked at the rug he was standing on. He couldn't just ask Gui like that.

What a thing for a lady to ask of a man... although he wasn't a lady in-game.

Scratching the back of his head, Prince finally turned his head and looked at the desk.

"I... I wanted to know your address..." he mumbled as quietly as he could, hoping Gui hadn't actually heard him.

When he dared to glance at the bard, though, he saw his eyes sparkling like two bright stars.

"Is His Highness thinking of visiting me~?" he asked ecstatically.

"W-what, no! I... I just..." Prince stuttered embarrassed. "It's just... I... I have chocolates and... well... I wanted... to give you... some."

Having a look on his face like he was experiencing the highest form of bliss possible in his lifetime, Gui's entire body seemed to radiate happiness,

expressing itself by glomping Prince and hugging him tighter than he ever had before.

And he repeated his home address in minscule detail again and again, so much that Prince felt it would haunt his dreams.

"Ok, ok. That's enough!" he said and pushed Gui away.

"Your Highness, my door is open - you can just walk in if you want to." the bard said, barely looking any less radiant than before.

Prince couldn't help but stare at him slack-jawed. Horrified, he had to voice his sudden thought.

Putting his hands against Gui's shoulders, Prince felt like shaking him.

"Do you actually expect me to go to a neighborhood I don't know, head into a building I am not familiar with,

entering a stranger's apartment while the only occupant is asleep in his bed?" he asked indignated. "What do you want me to do, climb into bed with you?"

Gui listened to the elf's rant, like he hadn't thought of the complications or problems it might bring for Prince,

although the slight blush in his cheeks that had appeared at Prince's final words was a dead give-away.

Disgusted, Prince grumbled and sat back down on the bed.

"I'm sorry, Prince. I hadn't considered that." the bard admitted, embarrassed. "Why don't I log off and meet you outside-?"

"NO!" Prince snapped at him. "I don't need to be accompanied or anything like that, okay? I can just leave the chocolates in front of your door."

"Well then, I guess I'd better log off and wait for you, so that I can pick them up immediately-"

"NO!" he snapped again. "I'll just... I'll log off to deliver the chocolate. And until I log back on, I forbid you from logging off!"

Gui sighed, used to hearing Prince's oppositions of him finding out about his real life identity, but he couldn't help but feel dejected.

He thought at least on an important day like this one, he would maybe bend the rules a bit.

Seeing Prince still glaring at him, Gui nodded.

"I promise. I won't log off until you have returned."

* * *

><p>I'll finish it here.<br>In case you want to know what happens... after logging off, Lan delivers the chocolates to Min's apartment door  
>and doesn't log in for anouther three or four hours, because she got lost on the way there.<br>Gui was impatiently waiting all that time and logged off once Prince returned to eat the chocolate and loved them.  
>The later parts are what I've planned on putting into a comicstrip, anyway, but I figured it was funny enough for written format, too.<br>And yeah, Prince actually wanted a secret room built. I couldn't help but let Gui attempt to kiss Prince - it was just too tempting.  
><em>edit<em> I changed a few things. The type of Valentine's Day routines I know best are japanese ones, where you can give chocolates  
>to friends, co-workers and all that. Oh and every box is color coded... Gui's box was purple.<p> 


	5. Just Be Friends

Originally, the title of this chapter was going to be the entire collection's name,  
>because the song just fit Gui so well - at least, the piano version did.<br>So beautiful...

**Just Be Friends**

'Lan thinks she made the wrong decision...'

_All characters belong to Yu Wo, CatMuto does not own 1/2 Prince_

First ever songfic!_  
><em>

* * *

><p>The small bedroom was covered in a gray hue because of night, the curtains pulled closed.<p>

But through a tiny gap in them, a sliver of moonlight flooded into the room, illuminating a small part of the rug to it's original white.

A bedspring squeaked when a form in it turned, two round brown eyes staring at the lightspot.

Lan stared at it, like it was about to move or get bigger or something. Like in trance, her eyes focused on it.

Jumping slightly when the sliver turned darker because of a cloud travelling across the moon, blocking out the light,

Lan tore her eyes off it and instead moved them to the clock's display.

3:17 AM, she sighed, trying to snuggle deeper into the covers and fall asleep already.

Although she had been having trouble sleeping lately, anyway.

Turning again to get comfortable, she turned to the other person sleeping in the bed, peacefully.

Tracing her husband's face with her eyes, memorizing every line about it... the eyelashes that were curling slightly on his cheeks,

the straightness of his nose, the casual way his hair was falling into his face. Reaching out, she ran her finger lightly over his lips.

"Mmh..." he mumbled something somnolently and grabbed her hand in his, falling back into deep sleep with their joined hands.

_Early morning yesterday,_

_I felt like I was gathering shards of broken glass,_

_Blood dripping from my cut finger,_

_Is this where we both prayed and hoped we'd be?_

Sighing again, Lan used her free hand to grab the gaming headband from her nightstand and tried to put it on one-handedly,

thinking that falling asleep with the help of the game was better than to keep lying in bed, unable to sleep at all.

* * *

><p>"Xiao Lan..."<p>

A finger was gently stroking over her cheek, ripping her out of Second Life and back into the real world.

Struggling to keep her eyes open, Lan used her arm to shield her eyes from the sunlight and turned onto her back,

looking up into her husband's gently smiling face, already dressed in his usual work attire.

"What time is it...?" she mumbled, peeking at the clock. Already 7:45 AM?

Past her usual waking up time, she probably didn't hear the alarm going off, and only fifteen minutes before he left for work.

Seeing her throw the blankets off and wanting to jump up, he gently pushed her back down.

"It's alright. You probably didn't sleep well, that's why you were online, right?" he asked, knowing that habit of hers.

Blushing, Lan nodded and stared at her naked toes touching the light rug beneath them.

Seeing him about to leave, Lan got up and followed him out into the light wooded hallway and towards the green metal door.

"Ling." she said and the blonde stopped, turning to look at her. "Sorry for this morning. Just stuff on my mind..."

Zhuo Ling Bin smiled at his sweet wife and walked back to her and pecked her forehead, pulling her against his chest with one arm.

"Absolutely no problem. I hope you work the stuff out soon." he told her and waved, heading out the door for the day.

Waving back at him, Lan sighed.

_Somehow I knew from the deepest reaches of my heart,_

_The best choice would be the choice that tears us both apart,_

_But my ego can't accept it and my contradictions repeat themselves,_

_I wonder why I never tried to tell you from the start..._

Heading back into the bedroom, Lan took off her pajamas and threw them onto the bed, changing into some other clothes.

Beginning the usual of her household routine, Lan opened up the windows in every room and airing the place out,

checking how full the hamper was and looking in every corner for dirty clothes, unloading the dishwasher.

Her life as a housewife wasn't really any different from when she was still living with her brother,

or rather, her taking care of him. Although his upcoming nuptials had surprised her...

Giggling, she remembered that she had yelled _When did THIS happen?_ when she first got the news.

Her eyes falling onto her wedding ring, her mind travelled back to her own wedding and the waterfalls her brother's eyes had become,

but during the reception it had been revealed he was more devastated about having to cook for himself now rather than from emotions.

She remembered that she had punched him for that... not a very bride-like thing to do...

Feeling a cool draft hitting her neck, Lan shivered and closed the windows, arranging the bed to make it look neat.

_In this world that's slowly decaying around us,_

_I carve myself a struggling path,_

_Into your colorless smile,_

_I have to pull the plug..._

* * *

><p>"Ling." Lan said hours later, after dinner had been enjoyed and eaten, the dishes cleared away.<p>

Zhuo sat on the leather couch and looked over his shoulder, seeing Lan standing at the dining table,

her hands on one of the chairs like she was seeking support from it.

Something in her eyes concerned him, so he turned the TV off and went over to the table himself.

"What is it?" he asked, worried that she might not be feeling well.

"We... well, I..." she stuttered, avoiding to look into his eyes. "...can't go on like this."

Both were silent for a long time, the air filled with a heavy atmosphere and feeling like the floor had been swiped underneath their feet.

Lan's hands kneaded the back of the chair, her eyes darting across various points on the floor and her heart beating so loudly,

she couldn't imagine it not being audible enough to not be heard. Daring to peek, she lifted her eyes enough to look at him.

Zhuo's face was ghostly white, his green eyes the only color in his face as he stared at a spot behind her,

wondering if he had heard right. For a second, his eyes focused on her and then, whatever it was that had kept him straight seemed to disappear,

he leaned slightly forwards and put his hands on the table, staring at the wooden surface.

"...is it Gui?" he finally asked, his voice cracking with the sudden use.

"Gui?" Lan asked back, wondering why he was bringing up his old rival. After she had accepted Zhuo's marriage proposal,

Gui had disappeared from Second Life for a while and had left the university he had been working at for one sabbatical after another.

Although he had recently returned and come back into contact with his old team members and friends,

Lan had no idea why he was suddenly on Zhuo's mind again.

"Is that why you've been online so much lately?" Zhuo asked.

The brunette's eyes turned hard, fixing her eyes directly on him.

"Are you implying I'm having an affair?" she asked, although her stern voice made it sound like a statement, rather than a question.

"Why else would you be online so much!" he yelled, staring back at her.

Lan clenched her hand into a fist and banged it onto the table. "How dare you think I'd leave you because of another man!"

_Now all I hear are screams between us,_

_Resounding and bouncing, the echoes throughout my mind,_

_Nothing remains, nothing is left at the end of the line,_

_We're at the end of our chain and we've run out of time!_

"Then why?" Zhuo asked and came around the table, stopping two steps from her. "Why are you saying this? After our years together,

saying this? What is it? Why throw it away? We're in a happy marriage-"

"**But I'm not**!" she suddenly screamed, her voice beginning to crack from various emotions bursting out of her.

_So was it fate that brought us together,_

_Only to remind us that Love's not forever~?_

Taken back by her outburst, Zhuo calmed down and saw how much she had begun to shake.

"I don't love you the way a wife should, Zhuo-gege!" she yelled, reverting to her old nickname for him. "I _do_ love you and I always will,

but not enough to stay with you like this! It's just impossible!"

_I said, "You know that's how it goes",_

_"That's just the way that life is",_

_And someone's tears fell down my dry cheeks._

Suppressing a sob as best as she could, Lan threw the ring onto the table and ran down the hall,

the heavy metal door clanging shut with a loud clunk as she left.

Zhuo's eyes remained on the wedding ring, the gold reflecting the light a bit and it slowly dawned on him that Lan ran,

turning towards the door she had disappeared and probably wasn't coming back through.

"Xiao Lan..."

* * *

><p><em>Last night a quiet moment helped me bring my thoughts around,<em>

_No sense in picking fallen petals up from off the ground,_

_The flower's past its bloom, it won't return to it's original form,_

_Our time has already stopped._

"Hang on~" the muffled voice called from the other end of the door.

When it opened, Lü Jing took one look at her best friend, the downcast look in her eyes and the dried tearstreaks on her cheeks,

the slippers on her feet that were dirty from being worn out on the street... and she instantly opened her arms, embracing her.

They stood there for a while, Jing supporting her sweet friend until she felt Lan lean back a little.

Keeping a protective arm around her, Jing led her into the living room and made her sit on one of the pillows surrounding a coffee table,

taking the slippers off her feet and putting them away.

"I'm sorry..." Lan mumbled.

Jing just grinned and waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, who cares about the rug anyway?"

"Sorry, Jing..." she mumbled again, feeling bad for coming over so suddenly.

But after the initial reaction, she had realized what she had done and didn't know where to turn.

She just knew that she needed someone with her at that moment, not to talk or give her advice or anything.

Just someone who was there for her.

"Jing?" Yun called out and leaned into the living room from the kitchen doorway. "What about the door-?"

He stopped when he saw Lan sitting at the coffee table, with her hands folded in her lap,

and he immediately slipped back into the kitchen while Jing sat herself onto a pillow next to Lan.

_And with every day that passes us by,_

_There's nothing I can do, Nothing I can do for us,_

_I will always love you, And I'll always think of you,_

_But I had to say it._

A minute later, Yun returned from the kitchen with a small tray and three cups of steaming hot chocolate,

setting one in front of Lan before sitting down at the table himself. Grasping the cup with both hands,

she felt the heat warming her hands and lifted it to her lips to take a sip, but felt no desire to do so.

Seeing the naked ring finger, Lan starting shivering again and quickly set the cup down, crying again.

_The rain pouring down in my heart,_

_The remaining clouds drowning me away from you,_

_I had anticipated the pain,_

_But my body can't move_

With a fluid movement, Jing and Yun both slid closer to her, embracing her from both sides,

like she was wrapped in a warm, protective ball and let her cry.

Knowing that words wouldn't help. Nothing they said might make it easier on her.

But merely being there and letting her get it all out,

the relief she felt,

the sadness she felt,

the worry she felt. That was enough.

Lan hiccoughed, freeing her arms slightly and put one around each of her friends,

pulling them closer and was absolutely grateful to have them.

_The bond between us has finally broken,_

_Unveiling and disappearing into everyday life,_

_Goodbye my beloved - this is it,_

_But you'll always be my best friend..._

_This is the end for us..._

* * *

><p>Hehehe... first One Shot where WickedZhuo actually plays a bigger role,  
>and it is basically this. But then, I can't help but feel that he's more like a fake love interest.<br>He felt suddenly added in and I find him to overprotective in regards of Lan/Prince, ignoring that she's changed.  
>But, I don't mind if other people support Zhuo and Lan.<p>

The lyrics are about half the Vocaloid song 'Just Be Friends' and I used a mixture of translation of the lyrics,  
>and of the lyrics rockleetist made. Go and listen to her english version, it's great! The original was sung by Megurine Luka,<br>but the song is actually from the guy's point of view and he's the one doing the breaking up.  
>Rockleetist's lyrics are, of course, her copyright.<p>

As for why I think Gui would fit this song so well... I just see him singing the Piano version and Prince crying because it's so pretty,  
>Gui stuttering he'd never wanna be just friends with Prince...<p> 


	6. Just Be Friends  2

A re-written version of this chapter, due to the previous one being severely short.  
>This one deals more with memories, rather than the song's meaning...<p>

**Just Be Friends - 2**

'While Lan looks for comfort in her friends,  
>Zhuo tries to see where his marriage had failed...'<p>

_All characters belong to Yu Wo, CatMuto does not own 1/2 Prince_

* * *

><p>Zhuo's mind was crawling at a snail's speed.<p>

Lan had left the apartment a while ago. Through the green metal door he was staring at.

He turned his head back to the table and saw the wedding ring she had thrown off,

the light it was reflecting off it's shining surface. The gold with the red line in it's middle,

a symbol for the red string that tied the two lovers together.

Picking it up, he held it in his hand and studied it's counterpart on his own finger,

realizing for the first time how much smaller Lan's fingers were. How delicate and fragile.

Wondering if she was still in the house, Zhuo headed towards the door and looked at the little entrance area,

the gray cement and the open shoe cupboard to the left. All of her shoes were still there, except her slippers.

Frowning, he opened the door and leaned out, looking down a deserted white hall with a blue linoleum ground.

Stepping out, he looked behind the door in case she was hiding there but saw nothing.

But then the blonde heard slow footsteps coming up the nearby staircase and was all set to see Lan,

returning with her head hung low and a slight blush on her cheeks, having cooled off and feeling a bit ashamed about her outburst.

But it was only Mrs Next-Door who was carrying a bag full of shopping and nodded towards him as she passed him.

Nodding back, Zhuo smiled and stepped back inside, closing the door behind him.

Somehow, the apartment seemed so much darker than before.

Standing in the entrance area, he felt his gaze lowering and thought of how, after the wedding, he had carried Lan over the threshold.

He could see it in his mind, the white dress she had been wearing... he could almost hear the full skirt's material grazing the door.

That was in the old apartment. They had just moved into this one a few years ago.

_With an exhausted sigh, Lan set the box on top of an already dangerously tippy pile of other boxes and flopped herself over it._

_"That's the last one..." she mumbled, feeling her legs buckling. Zhuo was already opening and unpacking some of the boxes,_

_mostly books which he put into the already set-up cases. Looking over to her, he smirked slightly and set the books down._

_"Not quite done yet. Come." he told her and headed towards the green metal door and held it open for her._

_"Ah, right..." the brunette sighed slightly, grabbing the small gifts out of a wicker basket,_

_thinking how they still had to introduce themselves to their neighbors._

_Although she had noticed some middle-aged housewives watching the movers bring stuff in, whispering to each other,_

_wondering what people were moving in and seemed delighted when they had seen the young couple directing the movers._

_Following her husband, Lan stepped outside of the apartment and wanted to ask him where to start the introductions,_

_maybe with Mr and Mrs Next-Door or Family Of Three Right Across, when she noticed he kept the door open._

_Wondering if he had forgot something, she felt his hand gripping her lower arm and pulling her towards him._

_Lan gasped, feeling that she was losing her balance and stared when Zhuo bent down slightly,_

_picking her up and carrying her in his arms._

_"L-Ling, what-?" she asked and flushed, giggling when she saw him carry her over the threshold. "You nut!"_

_Zhuo grinned, feeling her hand ruffling his hair._

Back in reality, he chuckled when he remembered how he had carried her through the entire apartment,

before he got tired and sat down on the floor with Lan in his lap. Sighing, he walked down the hallway,

looking around and not really seeing anything. At the end of the hall, he entered the right room and found himself in the kitchen.

All the delicious meals Lan had prepared in here, often getting experimental and using him as her guinea pig.

Not that he minded. Despite the tasting sometimes giving him a stomachache or burning his tongue, he still loved them.

He enjoyed cooking together with her, if he managed to get home from work early. Or the many times the dishwasher went on strike.

_"What is it this time?" Zhuo wondered, scratching his head and staring at the dishwasher that refused to do its job._

_Lan shrugged her shoulders, already elbow-deep in the - with dirty dishes - filled sink. "Maybe they're time-controlled, the breakdowns."_

_He sighed, sitting on the floor. "Maybe we should just get a new one..."_

_"Oh, I don't mind washing the dishes by hand." she told him. "Besides, it could get expensive - and that one might break down, too."_

_He sat up, stepping towards her._

_"You don't have to do that, I can do them for you." he told her, but only saw her shake her head._

_"I don't mind, really. Besides, with you here I can't concentrate on this." she winked at him, nudging him slightly. "Go on... There!"_

_She lifted a hand out of the water and flicked some of the soapy liquid onto his cheek, grinning._

Leaving the kitchen, he passed the bathroom - thinking of the times when they had taken a bath together,

washing each other's backs. He let himself fall on the couch, like all of his energy got drained out of him.

Feeling the cool leather beneath him, he replayed their last encounter in his mind.

They barely ever fought or yelled at each other - well, every couple had fights now and then. But never had tears fallen,

never had their voices reached such a loud pitch and neither of them had ever run off, always staying to tough it out.

Perhaps that had been wrong?

Again and again, his mind kept going over every detail of that fight - how she avoided to look directly at him,

how white her knuckles had become from gripping the chair. And... the way he had started the suspicion,

that one sentence that had probably caused the fight to escalate into one. And how she had fought back tears as she was running.

Had she really walked out onto the street in her slippers?

Hours went by as Zhuo tried to work things out, the question repeating itself - **why** did she leave?

_I remember the season when we first met,_

_And your sweetly smiling face,_

_Pushing present to the past, we continue to hurt each other,_

_Our hearts are full of thorns_

* * *

><p><em>"Zhuo!"<em>

_"What is it, __**Zhuo**__ Lan?" the blonde grinned back at her, seeing the brunette slap her hand over her mouth and giggle,_

_her cheeks flushed with pink. Sighing with fake exasperation, he reached out and ruffled her hair._

_"Still not used to it, huh?" he asked. Seeing her sticking her tongue out slightly, she giggled._

_Despite being married for some weeks now, she still wasn't used to not call him by his family name anymore._

_"Sorry." she rolled her eyes. "Then... Ling?"_

_Hearing her sweet voice calling him by his first name, Zhuo put his arms around her and held her close,_

_feeling her arms circling around him, too._

_Pin-Pon! ...Pin-Pon!_

With a start, Zhuo opened his eyes and realized that he must've fallen asleep on the couch. Seeing how it was dark outside,

and even darker in the apartment with no lights on, he thought he must've slept for a while. And the doorbell was ringing.

Zhuo sat up with a sigh, having wondered why a doorbell was ringing in a part of his memories when it hadn't.

Getting up, he turned the hall lights on and rushed a bit, wondering if it was Lan who had come back and opened the door.

"Yo." Yun said, standing quite awkwardly with one hand raised in greeting and the other in his pocket,

an empty overnight bag hanging from the crook of his arm. He saw the disappointment on Zhuo's face.

With a sigh, Zhuo leaned against the door a bit.

"So she's with you and Jing?" he asked, having wondered where she would go and received a nod in response.

He tried to figure out what was more prominent - relief in knowing she wasn't wandering the streets all alone,

or disappointment that she hadn't decided to come back. Trying to tell himself it was the first, Zhuo couldn't help but feel crushed,

what with seeing the overnight bag in Yun's possession.

Yun scratched the back of his head slightly and Zhuo let him in. "And she wants her stuff, too."

"...well, just a few immediate things. You know, toothbrush, a change of clothes... stuff like that." the young man said,

having actually been scolded by Jing to take on this severely awkward and tough part of the job. Although he had to admit,

he wondered if he would've done a better job as the comfort-cushion for Lan, which Jing was currently doing.

Zhuo pointed down the hall. "Second door on the left is the bathroom..."

Slipping his shoes off, Yun gave Zhuo an apologetic look and darted into the bathroom and saw the few couple-things.

Identical toothbrushes, some purikura stuck around the mirror edges - all with Zhuo or Lan close together,

pecking their partner's cheek or doing weird faces into the camera. Grabbing the toothbrush in the pink cup and the cup itself,

he went out again. He couldn't help but think - if those two were so close, what with identical toothbrushes,

couple pictures around the place and, he knew because Jing had bought them with Lan, identically patterened pajamas...

Why did their marriage fail?

Zhuo held out his hand for the bag, standing in front of the doorway leading to the bedroom and Yun,

knowing that he wanted to do the clothes-part, handed it over and waited patiently.

In the bedroom, Zhuo kneeled in front of the wardrobe, opening a drawer and throwing some of Lan's underwear and bras in,

closed it and repeated that process with some regular clothes and held her darkblue pajamas with the snowflake pattern in his hand.

Thinking of the identical pair he had himself, he looked over to the bed.

And his memories stirred again and he couldn't help but think of the nights with her. Her sweet voice luring him,

the red blush on her cheeks and the way she closed her eyes when they became one. Or even the way she held him close,

her nails slightly digging into his skin...

_Her fingers were slowly playing with his, her breathing still a bit fast. Watching her, Zhuo smiled a bit and joined that little game,_

_finally poking his index finger playfully at her nose. Her brown eyes focusing on his green ones,_

_Lan blushed slightly and scooted over to him, snuggling up to him._

_"What?" he asked surprised, feeling her warm body against his._

_"Nothing..." she mumbled. "It's a bit embarrassing.."_

_Zhuo chuckled and put his arms around her, holding her closer and they slowly fell asleep._

"Zhuo...? Zhuo?" Yun called and carefully peeked into the bedroom, seeing the blonde standing there with pajamas in his hands,

staring past something and was lost in his thoughts. "Zhuo!"

Starting a bit, Zhuo waved his hand dismissively and put the pajamas into the bag. Thinking it was enough for a while,

he picked it up and wanted to head out and return it to Yun, when his eyes fell onto Lan's gaming headband and he stopped.

Was the reason why she left because of Second Life?

Because of Gui?

Despite his rival vanishing into thin air for a few years, going on one sabbatical after the other, Zhuo couldn't help but wonder.

He had only heard a few weeks ago from Lan that the bard Guileastes had returned to Second Life and, now that he thought about it,

she had looked really happy about that. She said she was so glad to have the entire OddSquad back together,

having greeted him with the words of '_My dear punching-bag has returned!_'. But... what if the reason had been a different one?

Gui returning and, a few weeks after he does so, Lan wants to leave him... he couldn't help but think he was the reason.

He remembered with a pang that he had asked if his old rival was the reason for it. And he knew he shouldn't have!

Lan was not the type of person to two-time on somebody - before she had married him, she had just been unsure,

making sure to not get the hopes of either of them up... But the sudden hurt had overpowered him and made him say it.

His jealous thoughts were circling inside him, wondering if the two actually had met up in Second Life or even outside of it,

perhaps not quite the usual form of two-timing but... but, what if they had?

Wondering if he should, Zhuo grabbed the gaming headband and hesitated before he slowly put it into the bag.

Back in the hallway, Yun was waiting and took the bag that Zhuo was handing him.

"Say, Lan... how is she? Did she... well, say anything? Like, why she's leaving?" the blonde finally asked.

Yun scratched his cheek, adjusting the bagstrap on his shoulder. "Mh, nope. She's been too busy crying."

Knowing that Lan was crying made him feel worse than anything she might've said... Zhuo felt useless,

like he was caught in a cage and couldn't be there for Lan, to comfort her... although he was probably the reason for the tears.

"So, she hasn't mentioned Gui, either..." he mumbled to himself, although Yun heard him and gave him a weird look.

Shrugging his shoulders, Yun headed for the door and put his shoes back on, hoping to leave the depressing air in the apartment soon.

"Hey, Yun, if Lan says anything... you know, about why or Gui or anything..." Zhuo started, but stopped himself,

shaking his head and annoyed that he thought of using intermediate measures to talk to her. If he really wanted to know,

he would have to talk to her sooner or later, anyway. "...nothing."

Waving, Zhuo closed the door after Yun and sighed.

He wished he could talk to Lan sooner rather than later, but he also knew that giving her a bit of time was better.

Meeting her right away, when both of their wounds were still so fresh might lead to more tears, more yelling...

Or even to her returning to him. And even though Zhuo wished she would come back and stay with him,

now that he knew that it wasn't making her happy, he didn't want to put her through such trouble.

* * *

><p>Their footsteps were echoing loudly in the marbled hallway and when they stepped outside,<p>

the summer heat made them feel the difference between the airconditioning and the outside. It was a few months after their intial separation,

with more and more of Lan's stuff having left their once-shared apartment - sometimes it was Yun or Jing picking the stuff up,

sometimes it was just Lan and she and Zhuo talked all the while she was packing her stuff together.

"Lan, could you tell me..." Zhuo asked, turning back to look at the courthouse again and his hands gripped the handle of his bag tighter,

thinking of the signed and stamped divorce papers within it. "Why did you leave? I know you tried to explain it, but... I still don't quite..."

Lan looked over at him and saw him return her gaze.

"Zhuo-gégé."

Both were quiet, their own world oblivious to the sun warming the day and making everything shine.

After a while, Zhuo broke the silence, thinking that maybe she had forgotten what she initially wanted to say.

"What?" he asked.

"Just that. I love you like a brother." she told him, shaking her head slightly. "I also love you as a man, but... it's just... not enough to stay with you."

Feeling the pain beating dully in his chest, Zhuo nodded. "So, I'm like a man to you, who is also like a family member?"

"Pretty much, I guess." she admitted. "It wouldn't be fair for us to stay together, if there is someone else who can make you happier."

Zhuo nodded again, thinking he finally understood it. Prolonging the parting, he pulled a little box out of his pocket and handed it to her.

"I'd be happy if you kept it. Not as a promise, but... maybe a memento. Or a dear friend's gift." he said. "It's okay if you don't want to, though."

Curious, Lan opened the box and saw the ring inside - the wedding ring she had ripped off all those months ago.

Hesitating for a minute, wondering what to do, she closed the box and smiled.

"Thank you, Zhuo-gégé." Lan said. "I'll treasure it. Not because of a promise. But because I want to."

She waved her hand to signal him to bend down and, when he did, she leaned up a bit and pecked his cheek for a second.

Feeling his face turning red, Zhuo looked at her in surprise and finally sighed, although a smile was tugging at his lips.

"Well, I'll see you." he said and turned with a wave, heading down the street.

_Just one time, Oh this one time,_

_If I could get a wish of mine granted,_

_I'd ask to be reborn again and again,_

_And I'd go and meet the you from back in those days..._

Lan went the opposite way, but stopped a few feet away from the entrance of the courthouse and sat down on the low white stonewall,

staring at the ground and allowing herself one little moment of weakness and tried to remember...

_With wide eyes, Lan stared at the blonde's low-bent head and felt her heartbeat quicken by hundred times its usual rate,_

_her face already burning bright red. Not daring to breathe, she saw him hold a blue box in his hand and opened it,_

_revealing the ring inside it and she noticed his hands shaking slightly._

_"Lan, I've... I mean, you know I've loved you for a long time now and..." he stuttered, staring at the ground,_

_Lan was surprised to hear the generally cool Zhuo's voice cracking. "I... w-will you marry me? I promise to make you happy...!"_

_Biting her lip, Lan's thoughts were furiously jumping around in her head. Knowing how Gui felt about her, she wondered what would happen..._

_But she didn't want to keep Zhuo waiting too long, either - he had already waited so long for her and this moment must be excruciating for him!_

_Trying to listen to her heart, she could only tell its fast beating and her face flushing more, picturing herself living with Zhuo._

_With a gentle bonk on the back of his head with her fist, Lan lowered her left hand a bit until she knew he was able to see it._

_"Yes..."_

_Zhuo's head snapped up in an instant and he stared at her wide-eyed, his own face fiery red. With shaking hands,_

_he put the ring on her finger and almost lost his balance when Lan, grinning, glomped him and laughed embarrassed._

_"By the way, how dare you ask me such an embarrassing question in public?" she asked, pouting slightly._

_"We're the only ones here... otherwise I wouldn't have asked." he admitted._

_"Well, you got lucky nobody dropped in..."_

"Lan!"

Ripped out of her thoughts, Lan looked up and saw Min standing to her side and looking down at her.

"Ah, Min. Hey." she said, whirring her memories back and focusing on what was happening just then.

"It's been a while." he told her, sitting down next to her. "You haven't been online, either. Busy?"

"Mh, kind of." she admitted, pointing to the building behind them. "The divorce went through today."

Turning around a bit, Min saw the courthouse behind them and slowly turned towards her again, unsure about what to say.

Folding his hands together and touching his chin in a pondering fashion, he finally said: "So it didn't work out, huh?"

"Mh." Lan nodded. "He's just... so much like an older brother to me. And I feel a bit relieved now."

Both were quiet, a breeze rustling through the air.

"For example, if... one of us met someone who loved us more. Or made us happier than we did each other.

How unfair, to still be bound together - in something that wasn't really making either of us as happy as a well-doing marriage should.

Why tie yourself to someone who might just end up making you unhappier than if you were single?"

Min was quiet for a while and nodded. "Well, you did always call him Zhuo-gégé..."

Lan leaned forward, frowning as she studied his face for a bit.

"Your face... it's saying, 'well, if you had married me, I'm sure we would've stuck together'." the brunette muttered and Min gasped,

his face flushing slightly and he waved his hand dismissively. "W-what? No, I wasn't thinking that."

She shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. "You **so** were, admit it."

"Well... maybe, for a second." Min confessed, rubbing his neck.

"Who knows? Maybe we would be happily married if I had chosen you." she said, staring up into the sky. "Or it would've ended the same way..."

Studying her, Min wondered if she was imagining what her life would've turned out like, had she married him.

Then he saw her get up and stretch. "I feel a bit relieved, that Zhuo-gégé and I aren't weighing each other down anymore."

Lan turned towards him and grinned.

"It's so warm today, an ice cream sounds just about right. What do you think?" she asked.

Like he was reading her mind, Min got up and shrugged his shoulders.

"And I get to pay for it, huh?" he asked. "Well, as long as you don't want clams in white wine sauce with spaghetti and borscht again..."

She looked up at him and a sparkle started up in her eyes, holding a hand to her stomach.

"Mmhh, now that you mention it, I really feel like eating it..." Lan grinned and patted his back. "How about it, 'Professor'?"

"You haven't changed, 'Your Highness'..." he sighed and agreed on treating her to some food,

laughing when Lan cheered loudly.

_Just be friends,_

_All we gotta do is just be friends,_

_It's time to say goodbye so let's be friends,_

_All we gotta do is just be friends,_

_Just be friends_

* * *

><p>Hah, I gotta say I feel much better about his one than the previous one.<br>That was more of a quick-fire thing that I just typed out and called it done.  
>Now I feel better, like I answered some questions and done a well enough deal on the ZhuoxLan relationship.<p> 


	7. To heat up cold winter nights

I still haven't really written any romance into this thing!  
>Argh, what the hell? Must change that!<br>But first... we'll see.

**To heat up cold winter nights**

'It's wintertime! ...so cold..."

_All characters belong to Yu Wo, CatMuto does not own 1/2 Prince_

* * *

><p>Snow... beautiful white and delicate snowflakes falling slowly to the ground with a soft hiss,<p>

after dancing easily through the air. Everything coated in a thick white blanket,

hiding all kinds of secrets and mistakes made. Nothing making a sound except the crunch of footsteps.

"Aaaargh, too damn cold!" Prince complained, jumping on the spot with his arms crossed.

Most of his team members and other companions heaved sighs, ignoring his antics which didn't get him warm as he hoped,

but ended up getting snow into his boots. While he balanced on one boot to shake all the snow out of the other,

the rest, except a few, went on ahead.

Deciding to train for the day, the OddSquad had teamed up with Dark Emperor and headed to the Ice Caverns.

It had been Lolidragon's suggestion and Wolf-dagé had wholeheartedly agreed to going there,

since the monsters were, of course, all of the Ice element and fighting them would be easy with Prince's weapon and Yu Lian, who was a fire-oriented mage, after all.

After Sunshine had dropped them all off at the entrance, heading into the caverns made them all stop at first.

It was like they were incased in a large, cracked glass with crystals sparkling on every edge and the white snow reflecting in them.

Aside from the danger of slipping on the ice that was hidden beneath the thick layer of snow, the monsters were nothing.

They were sick of seeing Ice Bats trying to peck at them all the time, but they were easily defeated - with horrible EXP and loot.

"Lolidragon, these monsters will get better the deeper we go, right?" Yu Lian asked, grumbling over the fact that,

after about thirty minutes of non-stop bat-killing, they had barely made a dent in their experience bars and bad loot.

It wouldn't bring much money to sell them or exchange them - and as far as she knew, the bat teeth had no real purpose,

even for Alchemists who used all sorts of monster loot for mixing potions.

"Of course. Plus, the Boss of this dungeon - Fenrir - is supposed to give a huge amount of EXP!" Lolidragon consoled the mage,

fumbling with her fingers to calculate it. "Plus, his loot contains Celsius' Tear - except for being used in the best healing potions,

it could be sold for as much as 2400 Crystal Coins to an NPC store. Even more on the player market!"

"Boss-Schmoss, where _is_ he?" Prince complained, after getting both his snow-free boots back onto his feet and catching up.

"Oh, Prince, I am so pleased to see your enthusiasm about obtaining such valuable loot." Yu Lian sighed.

"I hope he's tough, so I can get into a real fight. That ought to warm me up!"

The mage's expression grew colder than their surroundings in an instant.

And Prince hurried to the front of the group.

As they got deeper into the cavern - Prince was wondering out loud what _idot_ would make it snow _inside a cave_ - the monsters got tougher,

starting with Ice Skelletons that used long and sharp icicles as spears, going further to meet Mermen, humansized fish that used swords.

Standing in front of a huge ice wall, the Squad and Emperor were dumbfounded.

Despite the map they had brought, the were now at a dead end.

"S-since we're stuck, can we go back?" Prince asked, clenching his teeth to stop them from chattering.

"No!" Yu Lian hissed at him. "We made it this far, we will not leave until we have defeated Fenrir and got our hands on that tear!"

"Yu Lian, bosses spawn randomly. What if we make it to the end of the cavern and he's not there?" he asked,

stepping towards the wall. "And besides, considering this wall, we probably _are_ at the end!"

He stretched out his hand and wanted to knock against it to perhaps prove it's stabil mass,

but within a blink of an eye he was thrown back and a large gash across his chest stained his shirt red.

"PRINCE!" several cries came at once.

[_System Announcement: Player 'Prince' has received heavy damage: -500 HP. 'Bleeding' is in effect, Player will lose -50 HP every 3 seconds_]

Wolf kneeled down beside the warrior, healing the injury but could only watch as Prince lost more hit points, having no spell to rid him of that status ailment.

The only thing he could do was to use minor healing spells to prevent consequences, until the effect ended.

Meanwhile, the rest of the players had grabbed their weapons, ready for the slightest movement of whatever had injured Prince.

They stared as the wall of ice began to move, taking on a slightly smaller form and obtained two gleaming red eyes at the top.

"Is this Fenrir?" Black Lily yelled.

"No! It's an Ice Titan!" Lolidragon said, using a Spectacle - a monocle-like item that gave various information about the inspected monster.

With the massive monster approaching, they could only begin to retreat with Wolf carrying Prince.

While running, Black Lily buffed her party and the members of the OddSquad and Ming and Yu Lian threw pitifully weak Fireball spells at it,

barely making a stratch into it's HP. But the Ice Titan kept following them, swinging it's large fists at them, his frame just barely scraping the walls.

With a loud roar, the lunged forwards and managed to squish Black Lily and Doll against the wall,

both disappearing as white lights back to the Rebirth Point.

"Yu Lian!" Wolf bellowed. "Run ahead, prepare Meteor Shower!"

Nodding, Yu Lian lifted her skirt slightly to move easier and pumped her legs until she was further from the rest,

stopped and tightened her grip around her wand, beginning to chant the incantation.

Still running and getting closer, Lolidragon began to lag behind to distract the monster with her fast movements and tried to keep an eye on the mage,

trying to see when she was done and ready to use her best fire spell.

Wolf noticed a slight change in her within an instant.

"DOWN!" he yelled, his voice echoing in the cave and the players almost threw themselves onto the ground,

dodging the meteors that were rushing above them and hit the Ice Titan with pleasingly sounding _whack_s.

Again and again it got hit with the meteors still coming forth, although their size was much smaller than they usually were

and Yu Lian guided them in a direct horizontal line at the titan.

The monster thrashed around, trying to dodge the spell but had barely any room to move and scraped the walls.

"Wah, stop - what if he causes the cave to collapse!"

"_Inferno Slash!_" a voice called out and a large red streak slashed across the Titan's body and, within seconds, it melted,

flooding the ground of the cave with loot on the floor.

Prince shook his hair back and straightened up, his black dao still crackling with flames.

"Prince!", "Your Highness!", happy cries reverberated in the cave. And with a sigh, Prince held the flaming sword close.

"So warm..." he muttered, ignorant of the actual problem.

The others crowded around him, happy to see him alright and the monster defeated, slipping slightly on the water that was beginning to freeze.

Prince, still close to his sword, let his eyes glide over them for a minute. "Doll and Black Lily?"

"Sent back..." Gui sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "Shall we ask Sunshine to bring them back?"

"Tch, too much work. Can't we go back ourselves, already?" he said annoyed, bending his leg to avoid it from being stuck in one position.

"We still haven't got anything good out of this place, nor have we met Fenrir yet-"

"Ah!" Lolidragon gasped and bent down, carefully picking something out of the ice. "Look!"

She was holding up something that looked extremely fragile - a rose that seemed to be made out of ice, it's thin stem barely visible in her hands.

"It's a Frozen Rose. These are worth a few Gold Coins." she told them, inspecting the glittering leaves and icy petals.

"Well... since we have that... and goodness knows, I wouldn't want to meet any more of those titans..." Yu Lian muttered,

finally nodding her head and agreeing that going back to Infinite City might be a better idea.

Happily leading the way, Prince was the first to exit the Ice Caverns and the rest followed him while he PMed Sunshine to pick them up,

Lolidragon carefully putting the Frozen Rose into her inventory. While waiting for the flying carpet to appear, Prince walked around,

gradually beginning to bend his legs more until he jumped in place again.

"Stupid game... damn cold... Screw 99% realism, man..." he grumbled. "Great and all, but why do I have to feel the cold...!"

"Your Highness, if you need warmth, let Gui embrace you...!" the bard called a while away.

"I'm fine!" Prince snapped and turned away, sneezed and rubbed his nose.

A shadow appeared over them and grew larger as it descended, the yellow carpet hovered a few inches from the cold ground,

waiting for everyone to hop on. Everyone did and, after making sure no one was forgotten or about to fall off, it ascended again.

With amazing speed, the carpet flew through the air and headed towards Infinite City.

Prince was sitting a bit off from everyone, hunched together as small as he could and pulled his jacket over his legs,

shivering. The wind whipping around him wasn't helping much and he felt his body shaking with several sneezes again.

"You should immediately take a bath after we reach Infinite City." Wicked suggested, slightly worried.

The elf turned slightly towards him and his eyes darted towards the female thief.

"Can't. Not with her running wild." he said, feeling his teeth chatter, he also felt his cheeks flush,

thinking that most of them would be heading for the baths and the thought of bathing with everyone... Prince sneezed again.

"Prince, let me warm you~" a voice cooed into his ear and he felt arms wrapping around him,

a warm body touching his back and beginning to thaw it. Wanting to thank Gui, Prince was downcast when he felt the warmth gone after a second.

"You stay away from him...!" Wicked hissed as he grabbed Gui away from Prince and shook him.

"Argh, watch it, we're extremely high!" Gui snapped, his eyes looking down for a second when he almost slipped off.

"You will reach the city much faster, then!"

* * *

><p>Prince was running.<p>

He was running down the longest hall in Infinite Castle, feeling his lungs ready to burst with strain.

Everybody had reached Infinite City in one piece, nobody was sent there early as a white light, and had met up with Doll and Black Lily again.

Both knew that they had managed to defeat the Ice Titan, thanks to the EXP Sharing option of the parties. Although Doll had first whined,

saying that she didn't get to see Yu Lian-jiéjié's strong meteors or Prince-gégé's final move, but she was quickly consoled with cookies.

Most of them were heading towards the bath to warm up, but Prince had made up an excuse saying he first wanted to sell the Frozen Rose,

which he did, and then headed to his personal rooms. Having changed his clothes that were so cold, he could've sworn he heard them crunching,

he had decided to not take a bath. Instead, he had opted to run the entire length and all the halls the Infinite Castle had to offer.

It was bound to get him to warm up and it was a chance to work on his endurance some more.

Now, though, he felt... well, not really warmed up, but exhausted.

Stopping, Prince put his hands against his knees and coughed, catching his breath.

Wondering if he should head to the Infinite Café and drink some tea with Kenshin and Cold Fox, Prince wiped his hair out of his face.

"Xiao Lan." Almost jumping a foot into the air, the elf gasped and looked up, seeing Wicked rounding the corner and approaching.

"Wicked... don't scare me like that!" he sighed, trying to stop his heart from beating too fast. "I thought someone found me out!"

"Sorry. What have you been doing?" the dark elf asked, studying his opposite's slightly drenched clothes.

"Ah, some running..."

"You were trying to warm up, right? If you would take a bath, you'd be warm much faster." Wicked sighed.

"No, really, I'm fine. I don't need to-"

"Xiao Lan, if you don't take care of yourself now, you might end up getting sick in real life." he told her.

"No big de-"

"Correct me if I'm wrong," the dark elf said. "but don't you have a series of tests coming up?"

Horrified, Prince twitched when he remembered that Wicked was right. He had completely forgot that test week would be soon.

And getting sick at that point would be pretty bad, he'd have to re-take the tests later... although he heard the make-up exams were always easier.

Thinking, Prince scratched the back of his head and sighed.

"You're right, I'd better... But first..." he mumbled and took a long chain out of his inventory.

Staring, Wicked looked at the chain and then at him. "Um... what are you-"

"Ahh~, it's so hot~!" Prince moaned loudly, his voice almost echoing in the hall. "I'd better take my clothes off~!"

Wicked stared, his blush not that noticeable on his dark skin, and wondered why Prince had done that and heard footsteps rushing towards them,

then Lolidragon rounded the corner with her eyes already sparkling with anticipation and blood about to burst out of her nose.

Prince rushed at her and, within seconds, managed to tie the chain as tightly as possible around her arms and legs, ignoring her protests.

_"Just one peek, what's so bad about it-Ow, hey watch it! You should know, a woman's skin is very delicate-!"_

"Wicked, could you watch her while I take a bath?" the elf asked, smiling sweetly.

"Sure..." he agreed, sighing at that extreme measure. "By the way, the bath's completely empty now."

Prince, already walking down the hall, gave a lazy wave to show he had heard him and headed towards the large bath,

happy to know he wouldn't have to fear of getting a nosebleed by stumbling onto one of his very hot and very naked aquaintances.

When he got to the bath, he threw his clothes onto a pile in one corner and entered the room holding the large bath itself,

feeling the steam already sweeping over his body. Just as Wicked had said, it was completely empty except for the elf himself.

With a sigh, Prince slipped into the hot water and already felt his limbs loosening, thawing from that cold that had creeped into his bones.

Closing his eyes, he leaned back and relaxed, listening to the almost silent sloshing of the water and shut his mind off.

After a while, he felt his head nodding to the side now and then.

"_Prince, we-_" Gui contacted him over the PM channel.

"_Shut up, I'm soaking._" he replied via PM and said it out loud, hearing his voice echoing.

"_Um, that's-... okay._" Gui stuttered and, true to the elf's words, shut up and let him be.

When Prince noticed that he had almost fallen asleep and completely submerged himself in the water,

he got out and dried off, putting on one of the thick, fluffy white bathrobes on and slipped his feet into fitting slippers.

"Ah, I feel so much better~" he cooed when he left the bath and headed towards his room to dress,

oblivious to the few female players who spotted him in the bathrobe and gasped, torn between pleased and surprised to see him like that.

* * *

><p>How beautifully shortlived that precious warmth had been.<p>

Later, once night had fallen, and all of Infinite City had gone to bed and sleep, Prince was in his room and awake.

He was lying in his bed, underneath three rather thick blankets _and_ two furhides from once-slain monsters,

and yet he was still cold! Annoyed, he slipped completely underneath the blanket, although that made it hard to breathe.

"Dammit, why am I cold again?" he snapped at no-one in particular and sat up in bed.

Despite having closed the windows and putting extra blankets into his bed, he was freezing again.

He was shivering so much, he thought he heard the bed shake along with him.

Sighing, Prince pulled the blankets around himself again and wondered if he shouldn't have become a beastman, after all.

They definitely didn't have the problem with cold, although... they were so ugly...!

Giving up, Prince threw the blankets off again and felt even colder.

"Crap..." he mumbled. "How to get warm...? I can't take a bath again..."

The image of wandering through the dark castle in the middle of the night and taking a bath,

it sounded like something from a ghost story. What if another person, who had trouble sleeping, would hear him?

And it was bound to be found out, since it was him, and then the entire city would know about his 'hobby' of taking late-night baths,

Yu Lian would scold him about the image he had to hold up as City Lord and listen to Lolidragon whining about him not coming to _her_.

"I would've warmed you with my body!, is what she would say." Prince muttered, mimicking her voice.

Frowning, Prince stared at the sheet beneath him for a second and followed his train of thoughts to the end,

jumping off the bed and wincing at the cold floor under his feet.

Throwing his jacket over his shoulders, the elf left his bedroom and closed the door.

Finding himself in a dark hall, the elf made his way to the only lightspot he saw ahead - a single torch on the wall.

Taking it down, he held it up high to see as far as he could but to no avail. He barely saw anything.

Walking down the hall, he got to the winding staircase leading to a lower floor of the tower.

He couldn't help but hope that he wouldn't run into anyone - one thing to be found out about taking baths at night,

another to be found stalking his castle's dark hallways at night. People might mistake him for a ghost, considering his light complexion,

and that would be even weirder! Trying to stop himself from thinking up weird stories that would make headlines, he shook his head.

Coming to a three split-way, Prince looked down the left and right hall.

The only things down the way he had come from was the stairs that led to his room, so he only had to choose between left and right.

"God, I hope I don't pick the wrong one now... it could get embarrassing..." he wondered, creeped out by his voice in the dark.

Looking both ways again, Prince took the left one and hoped to be right. Seeing the hall with several, identical looking doors ahead of him,

he tried to think straight. He felt like he was getting colder by the minute... putting the torch into a frame close-by,

the elf wondered if he remembered correctly and slowly opened one of the doors, attempting to make no sounds whatsoever.

Stepping into the dark room, he closed the door as quietly as he could and... then what?

Hoping he got the right room, Prince dared to take slow steps, almost dragging his feet over the floor.

And right away, he knocked into something that made a loud _dong_ sound and was about to hit the floor even louder.

"Aw shi-" he stopped himself and, trying to ignore the pain in his stubbed toes, managed to grab whatever it was he had knocked into.

Feeling the long, wooden shape and the fine strings of the guqin, Prince almost cheered and put the instrument on the floor.

Not daring to breathe for a few seconds, he waited to hear a muffled groan or a snore or something,

but the figure in the bed didn't move. Apparently, Gui was a heavy sleeper.

"Well, all the more better for me, I hope..." Prince thought to himself and shuddered, slipping his arms into his jacket.

Feeling his way towards the bed, he felt his fingers touch the silky blankets and up to the head of the bed.

Squinting his eyes slightly, he could just make out Gui's shadowy figure lying on the other side of the bed, turned towards him.

The elf didn't move for a while, he had this weird feeling that Gui was awake and watching him... barely breathing,

he tried to look like a random object in the room, in case he was being watched. But when he dared to lean down a bit,

he saw the bard a bit better and noticed his eyes were closed, a few strands of his long hair obscuring them and-

"This is no time to be gawking at his beauty, dammit!" Prince yelled at himself mentally and grabbed the blankets a bit.

Suddenly blushing furiously, the elf remained standing for a bit and then, like he was pushed, slipped underneath the blankets.

Wondering if his face was flushing bright enough to be seen in the dark, Prince looked at the still sleeping bard.

Under the blankets, it was already warmer than his own bed, but... remembering for a second the comforting warmth Gui had given him on the carpet,

the elf carefully scooted inch by inch towards him. Shaking, more with adrenaline than cold, Prince was close enough to Gui now to see him clearly.

Gui was sleeping, his right arm was bent and used as a pillow and his left hand slightly underneath his cheek,

the elf had a close up of the bard's long, dark eyelashes curled on his cheeks and his lips slightly parted.

He was really very beautiful... Prince slapped himself for such thoughts at such a moment and finally scooted closer to Gui,

his fingers just barely touching the bard's chest.

Gui... was really very warm. It was the same type of deep-hearted warmth he had felt before, he already felt much warmer.

Wondering why he emitted such warmth, Prince knew now why Gui didn't even need furhides as blankets during cold nights.

Closing his eyes, the elf felt himself relax.

* * *

><p>Sun was spilling into the room, the light reflecting off the many glass sculptures in a cupboard and on to the papers strewn on the desk.<p>

Suppressing a yawn, Gui was waking up and didn't want to open his eyes, he was feeling way too comfortable in bed.

But he finally did... and felt his heart stop for a second.

Stopping himself from almost screaming in surprise, he stared at the person next to him.

Not just next to him, but completely snuggled up to him - and he noticed his own arm was loosely lying over him.

Backing away slightly, the bard tried to collect his thoughts and see if he came up for a reason why Prince was sharing the bed with him.

Finding none, he just looked at the sleeping face.

"Hm... mhrr..." Prince frowned slightly, making bubbly noises with his mouth and was annoyed with the sudden lack of his source of warmth,

scooting up to Gui again and wrapping his arms around his chest, burying his face. Blushing slightly, the bard finally smiled.

Running his hand through the elf's hair a bit, he leaned down and kissed his temple before holding him close.

"Do that again and I'll hit you..." Prince's muffled voice came out and the bard chuckled.

* * *

><p>Iyah~<br>I felt like writing something like this for a while now.  
>Does this count as romance? I don't think so...<br>By the way, monsters and items taken either from _Tales of Symphonia_ or _Ragnarok Online_.


	8. Sweet Melody

**Go back and read Chapter 6 again - it has been given a complete re-write!**

Woot, I have a new game!  
>I love playing new games - although I know the ending of this one...<p>

**Sweet Melody**

'What pretty music... like dancing through water...'

_All characters belong to Yu Wo, CatMuto does not own 1/2 Prince_

* * *

><p>"Finally done...!" Prince sighed, rubbing his neck and stretching his back, feeling his muscles move and groan.<p>

His head was feeling heavy with need of sleep and pain throbbing on the sides, but nothing compared to the pain on his cheeks.

For hours he had to smile, grin or laugh _just right_ - pictures for the newest album. And Lolidragon had almost lost her voice,

having nagged and nagged for most of those hours, saying he had to correct his posture to the right or re-do the entire picture,

apparently because the entire setup had been wrong. Wondering who she was trying to sell the album to, Prince sighed.

Not to sound cocky, but he was so famous and well-liked in Second Life - and Real Life - everybody would instantly buy the album,

no matter the price or what the theme it was or what the pictures actually looked like. As long as they got their hands on it.

Leaving the other people in charge of the album behind, the elf massaged his face and sighed again,

wondering what to do with his free time now. That album-thing had taken so long, most of the day had already gone by.

Maybe there was enough time to go fight some monsters, but knowing his companions...

Yu Lian was either pouring over documents or spending time with her dear Wolf and Lolidragon was caught up in making the new album.

The rest had either logged off early or were busy otherwise, although Kenshin was probably with Cold Fox and Sunshine in a café.

Thinking about joining them, Prince stopped when he heard a faint sound coming in from the open window.

With his curious mind now otherwise occupied, he leaned out and saw into the back courtyard, trying to hear the source.

Closing his eyes and straining his ears, he finally noticed that it was music and tried to hear more of it,

although he heard the music stop. He couldn't help but feel sorry about that, it had sounded so pretty... and it started up again.

Parking his keister onto the windowsill for a second, the elf deftly jumped out and landed with a low thud on the soft grass.

Closing his eyes again, he tried to find where it came from by the sound only and let that navigate his feet.

* * *

><p>Sighing slightly, Gui set his instrument down again and picked up the pencil, writing more notes onto the papers surrounding him.<p>

Frowning, he hummed the melody in his head and attempted to replicate the notes right back onto the paper.

Picking the paper up, he flew over it again with his eyes and finally put it down, taking his instrument again.

Beginning to play again, the bard closed his eyes and memorized the notes as he kept going.

"Ah, so it was your guqin..." a voice said suddenly, causing the bard to stop playing and look up, seeing Prince leaning down.

Staring at Prince, the bard flew over his usual creamy complexion and the white-golden hair framing his face,

but his bloodred eyes had pale green make up around them that gave them a cat-eyes like shape.

The elf was wearing black leather pants with silver chains attatched to the sides and decorational zippers in places,

a black vest that was halfway buttoned which left a delicious looking part of his chest visible.

Although that was obscured by a long necklace with a purple orb-shaped pendant, coupled with two thin goldchains around his neck,

a silver necklace with a crown and even a leather strap with feathers arranged in a pretty shape dangling from it.

"...what?" Prince asked, having felt him staring for a while.

"Ah, your clothes." the bard admitted, quickly ripping his eyes back up to the elf's face and setting the guqin down.

"Ah, right..." the elf looked down on himself and touched his face. "I was going to change... oh well."

"A new photoshoot?" Gui asked, seeing Prince stretch and sit down with a sigh, nodding.

Prince leaned back on his hands, fiddling with one of the necklaces and letting his eyes stray over their surroundings,

the trees mixing themselves with nearby shrubs into colorful arrangements and the grass growing longer.

When he looked back at Gui, he saw him watching him and quickly lowered his eyes to the papers scattered around.

"What are you doing, anyway?" he asked him, pointing at the papers.

"Mh? Oh, music." Gui said, straightening the papers a bit. "Lolidragon heard how people would like to hear my playing,

so she told me to write some music for that. She says it'll bring in more money and fans for the concerts."

"Hmmm..." Prince picked up the paper closest to him and held it up, seeing the notes written on it,

some crossed out and different ones next to it, even some where the cross had been erased.

He didn't understand notes all that perfectly himself, but what Gui had written for the band so far had always been a success.

"So you've been sitting here and writing..." he mumbled and got a nod in return. "Can I listen?"

Gui flinched slightly at the elf's smirk and felt his face flush. "Well, I haven't perfected anything yet so I make mistakes..."

"Oh come on... please~?" Prince pouted, using the same face his own pet used on him when he wanted something.

Already seeing the weakening resolve in Gui's eyes, who quickly looked away, Prince knew things would turn out his way,

after all, he couldn't imagine Gui refusing any of his requests. Seeing his eyes look shyly back at him, he finally nodded again.

"But, like I said, I'll probably make mistakes..." Gui admitted, feeling flustered and gripped his guqin,

seeing Prince wave dismissively and flop himself onto his back with his arms crossed behind his head.

"It's a good way to weed out things that might not be liked, right?" he asked, closing his eyes and was prepared to enjoy this.

Gui nodded and began to play the guqin, the same song he had been working on before.

Although he stopped several times, stumbling over the notes he had mastered previously and had to start over again,

the elf just lay there with his eyes closed and a smile hovering over his lips, enjoying to hear the music and slowly began to hum along.

The work of writing the songs became much easier and faster, with Prince lifting his hand when he had found a bad spot and Gui stopped,

watching the other's hand trace notes in the air while he hummed the melody he suggested and, when trying it out, it _did_ sound better.

"Let's see..." Gui mumbled to himself when he had written the entire song, took a last look at the notes and began to play.

Listening, Prince felt the music beginning to create pictures in his mind.

The music was reverberating inside of him, washing over him and making him feel light, almost dizzy.

Somehow, he felt like he was floating at the bottom of the ocean, the beautifully deep and sinister water almost in front of his eyes,

he could almost feel his feet grazing the slick rocks and felt like he was dancing under the water, the water flowing along with his movements,

no resistance like it was a fine woven cradle that began to rock before the baby inside could begin to cry.

As the song went on, he felt his head beginning to feel heavy...

"That's it." the bard muttered, setting the instrument down and picking the sheet paper up, nodding to himself.

Seeing the elf lying still on the grass, Gui was amazed at how the sometimes rather scatterbrained Prince could stay and listen for so long,

then he noticed the slow rising and falling of his chest and the relaxed look on his face. It seemed like he had fallen asleep.

Smiling a little, Gui picked up his instrument and worked on the next song, feeling inspired by the elf's presence and played softly,

trying to not wake him up and to see if maybe his music could reach Prince in his dreams.

* * *

><p>Setting his guqin down for the final time, Gui began to pick up all the papers lying around.<p>

"Those all sounded beautiful, Gui..." Prince's mumbling voice came and he stifled a yawn.

"You were asleep for most of them." the bard said with a smile.

"I was not!" Prince hissed and, like to prove his awakeness, jumped up and had to lean against a tree as support.

"Whatever you say, Your Highness..." Gui sighed and shrugged his shoulders.

* * *

><p>Urgh, another one that I just sucked out of my fingers.<br>I apologize for the delay - one day was spent rewriting JBF 2 and yesterday I had a horrible migraine,  
>which made me dizzy if I stayed up too long. And the results of the entrance exam are up tomorrow...<br>And sorry about this one, I just really wanted to give you guys something.

**If you haven't read the re-written Just Be Friends 2 yet, do it now!**


	9. White Chocolate!

Welcome to the next chapter!  
>I really am <em>not<em> happy about the last one - no more writing something up in a hurry and calling it done.  
>That might be another chapter that gets a re-write at some point...<p>

**White Chocolate!**

'A month has passed and now it is White Day.  
>Guess who's over the moon about not having to give anybody any return gifts?'<p>

_All characters belong to Yu Wo, CatMuto does not own 1/2 Prince_

* * *

><p>Shortly after logging in, Prince felt a lot more stares on him than before as he walked through his city.<p>

It felt like every possible female pair of eyes was glued to his back or face or anything they could see of him,

even the last few remaining female NPCs. Wondering if he looked any different from previous days,

the elf shook his head - yesterday, before logging off, nothing had been out of the ordinary and nothing had changed since.

"_Your Highness!_" Gui's voice called out over the PM channel, diverting his attention to something else.

"_What, is it important? I'm heading to the tower right now._" he asked, wondering if he wanted to talk about new music he had written.

"_No no no, nothing like that. Well, it's important but... not for everyone._" the bard stuttered a second. "_Meet me in the courtyard?_"

"_Uh... sure. Be right there._" Prince answered and turned on his heel, heading towards the courtyard that was to the left of the tower.

Frowning, he wondered what important thing Gui might want from him that couldn't be said or done in front of the team,

although he was also thinking if he should have his dao unsheathed, just in case.

This time he was completely oblivious to the stares he got as he headed towards the courtyard,

entering it and looking around the grassy place filled with some shrubs and even a small pond. Seeing nobody there yet,

the elf leaned against one of the walls surrounding the place with one hand on the handle of his weapon.

It didn't take long for the bard to appear, he was a tiny bit out of breath, like he had run to meet up.

"Sorry for making you wait." he said, laughing embarrassed while he caught his breath.

"Uh, um..." Prince mumbled, not really having waited long, but he was distracted by Gui's looks.

Despite being quite used to the bard and his beautiful features with that breathtaking gaze in those amethyst eyes,

but this was the first time he had seen the bard in anything except his usual attire. Discarding the cloak and tunic,

he was wearing a pale turquoise kimono that was tied with a darkblue sash that enhanced the purple tint in his hair.

Feeling rather dumbfounded, Prince quickly shook his head to collect himself and waved Gui's apology off.

Like he said, he hadn't been waiting very long anyway.

"Anyway, what is it?" Prince asked, letting his eyes wander away from the bard.

"Happy White Day!" Gui said, his voice swinging with joy and the elf looked at him, surprised.

Wait, it was White Day? Had that horrible chase that he had endured on Valentine's Day, despite trying to avoid it,

really happened a month ago? It somehow felt like it had been much less time since then... although the chase still haunted his nightmares.

Succumbing to his deep thoughts, Prince crossed his arms and frowned, remembering the time spent prior to logging in.

That damn Yang Ming had completely ignored White Day... unless he thought that, since he only got chocolates from his sister,

there was no need for a return gift. Well that just meant he'd have to suffer for the next few days.

He'd be on shopping duty and cutting the vegetables for the next few dinners - he hated doing that!

"So that's why you..." he mumbled to himself, looking at the bard for a second who returned his questioning gaze.

With his mind drifting back to school, Prince remembered passing a ton of girls who all were talking about the return gifts they had gotten.

Most of them were cooing to each other over the one they got from Professor Min.

Granted, it was nothing more than a simple brooch in the shape of a white lily and every girl had gotten identical ones,

but he remembered thinking that Min had the deceny to not ignore the overflowing trashcans with discarded gifts in them.

Dimly remembering that Tian had handed him something as well, Prince wondered why he felt fear rising in him.

Then he remembered that he had managed to avoid _all_ the girls who had been chasing him last month,

so he had not gotten a single present from any girl and was therefore not obliged to give anything in return.

Sighing, he let his shoulders drop and saw the bard staring at him, wondering.

"Ah, nothing, nothing..." Prince muttered, waving his hand and Gui nodded.

"I see. By the way, you still get a return gift!" Gui told the elf, smiling widely.

Feeling a slight blush on his cheeks, the elf laughed and shrugged his shoulders.

"You don't need to give me one. Really not." he said but saw the bard looking disappointed. "Well, if you really want to... what is it?"

"Of course...!" Gui smiled and tugged Prince closer to himself, cupping his face into his hand. "A million kisses..."

Prince flinched and smack Gui flat across the face, making the bard fall to the floor and his own face bright as a tomato.

And it dawned to him what he had done. He had actually slapped Gui. Wait, he had never intended to _slap_ him!

Always before he had been allowed to punch, kick or even stomp-jump onto him, often ending up with sending him to the Rebirth Point,

but he never before had ever slapped him or had even intended to do that!

It was just, ... he had got startled! That was the first time Gui had really gotten that close to him before,

let alone that close to a kiss. Wondering if he should apologize for the slap, Prince also thought it'd be weird to suddenly say that.

"I thought Your Highness wouldn't like that..." Gui said, trying to sound like it was no big deal, but the disappointment was clearly audible,

making Prince feel worse about himself. Straightening up, he laughed a bit. "So I had a different idea as well. But we'll need Sunshine."

"Sunshine?" the elf repeated. "...let me get him." PMing his pet modelled after an arabian prince, he told him to come to the courtyard.

It didn't take long for Sunshine to appear, asking what was going on and Gui had a quick conversation with him,

Prince watching from afar. His curiosity was increasing, wanting to know what other idea Gui had cooked up,

but also wondering what Sunshine had to do with the whole thing. Gui approached him while Sunshine made his carpet appear.

"Let's go!" the bard simply said, ignorant of Prince's confused stare.

"Go? Where? What, now?" he asked. "Shouldn't we tell the others? I mean, they might be worried and Yu Lian will really be angry!"

"It'll be fine~" Gui consoled him and pushed the reluctant elf towards the carpet, who finally jumped on it and took a seat,

the bard imitating him and Sunshine, already sitting, steering the carpet into the air.

"So... where are we going?" Prince asked, turning his head towards the bard, trying to ignore the wind whipping his air,

droning in his ears - he hated trying to hold conversations on the carpet, it was always so difficult.

"The eastern continent." Gui told him, turning towards him too. "It'll be much quieter over there."

"Hmmm..." Prince went, not able to figure the bard out.

* * *

><p>Jumping off the carpet, Prince walked a few steps and stretched, happy to be able to move again and having solid ground beneath his feet.<p>

Gui was talking with Sunshine for a minute again and then the latter disappeared, waving to both of them.

Catching up to him, the bard looked at Prince who let his eyes wander around Byakko City and finally looked back at him.

"So, what are we doing on the eastern continent?"

"I thought we could just spend the day together here." Gui answered. "If we did this in Infinite City, we'd kept getting bothered..."

Hearing the bard heave an annoyed sigh, the elf had to agree. Thankfully, being Citylord and part of the untouchable OddSquad,

the two were generally treated still with some respect and people kept their distance. But it didn't stop them from disrupting conversations,

asking meaningless things like directions just so they could later brag about having talked to them.

"So, this is pretty much a date."

"Uh, well, if you want to call it that, yes..." Gui admitted shyly, his cheeks flushing a deep color.

Prince stared.

He couldn't help but think how _weird_ it was to see Gui act like that, considering he had only gone on a date with the Professor Min personality before,

although he couldn't help but think if that could count as a date. Neither had really looked forward to that meeting,

not even really calling it a date, false reasons used to get it and Min definitely wasn't there with the person he had wanted to be.

He had been, but hadn't know about it.

Slightly exasperated, Prince gave Gui a pat on the back to snap him out of his shy state. "Then it's a date, I guess. Any plans?"

"Considering the time, I thought of maybe us going out to eat." Gui began and instantly saw the anticipation sparkling in Prince's eyes,

his enthusiasm barometer rising steadily and the elf nodded, grabbing the bard's hand and headed towards a large building.

A few minutes later, both stood inside a restaurant and Gui let his eyes wander around the place.

The light wooden floor blended perfectly into the same patterned walls with red and gold sashes hanging from the high ceiling,

small round laterns dangling from them in a starburst form. A heavily-spiced aroma was wafting through the air,

reaching the outside and inviting potential customers to enter.

Following the girl showing them the way, she brought the two to a smaller, dark wooden table and left after hearing their orders,

leaving the two alone. Prince was leaning his elbows on the table and his head on his hands, innocently inspecting other customers.

He felt relieved when he saw, amongst the various couples, several groups of friends or other players chatting and sitting together.

Even if he had nonchalantly said that this was a date, he somehow felt very insecure and even a bit excited,

wondering what Gui might be thinking. Could it be that he was getting his hopes up?

As far as Gui knew, Prince had come online on Valentine's Day only to ask him for his address and not to see Wicked,

or that he had even given him anything. And now he had managed to 'snatch' Prince and whisked him away for a date,

having him all to himself for the day. And a little part of the elf was nagging with a small thought in the back of his head.

Was this unfair towards Wicked?

"Mh?" Prince noticed the bard looking at him. "What?"

Gui didn't answer but cocked his head to the side, leaning it against his hand and continued to watch the elf,

something in his eyes telling him that he knew what Prince was thinking. Neither of them spoke for a while,

probably wondering what to say next or waiting for the other to do something. Finally, Gui sighed.

"You don't seem very happy about being here. With me." he said.

"No, it's not that. It's just that I'm not used to dates... although those two can't be called dates. So this would make it my first...?"

Prince wondered how that must sound, but if he thought about it, it was pretty much the truth.

When he went to the café with Min, both knew the reason was faked and only an excuse to see how he felt about him.

Same when Jing made him meet up with Zhuo. The feelings on their side were clear as crystal, but his own...

Seeing Gui looking at him with a slight flush made Prince blush himself.

"What?" he asked slightly annoyed, but Gui just shook his head and waved it off.

Loud, rumbling footsteps mixed with the clink of armor approached them and they looked up, seeing other customers staring.

"Hey, it's the little elf!" the booming voice said mockingly and earned a loud laugh from his entourage.

Both looked up at a tall man dressed in very attention-seekingly colored armor and a furtrimmed cloak dragging behind him,

his hair hidden for the most part beneath a large helmet. Remembering that he had seen this guy at this place before,

he couldn't for the life of him remember his name - his appearance had struck him as that of a peacock.

Try as he may, he only remembered his nickname for him and the annoyances he had given him when he had been on the continent before.

"What are you doing here, especially today? Where's Xiao Jing?" he asked, looking around the restaurant, expecting to see her.

"She's not here." Prince replied calmly, hoping that the guy's temper would stay calm for once and leave him be.

"Bullshit! She has to be here since you're here. And since you're here that little runt of a guy has to be, too. Where is she?"

"She's not here." the elf repeated, trying to keep his own temper. "Now go away. Your last encounters with me should've taught you something."

For maybe half a second, dead silence roamed through the restaurant and all eyes were fixed onto the peacock and the elf.

And then a loud thud was heard when the peacock's fist hit Prince's face and he toppled out of the chair and onto the floor,

holding his injured face and feeling the blood rushing, his face heating up and throbbing painfully.

Before anybody else could do anything or even react, Gui had moved.

He was already on the other side of the table, landing his knee painfully into the peacock's stomach who bent over with a loud wheez.

"Nobody dares to touch Prince." Gui growled menancingly and struck the guy's neck with his elbow,

a disgustingly loud cracking sound of his neck breaking later, he disappeared into a pillar of light back to the Rebirth Point.

The entourage of the peacock stared in shock as their leader disappeared and saw the bard looking over at them,

that same murderously ice cold glint in his eyes and they high-tailed it out of the place.

Nobody moved or said anything, staring at Gui who knelt down next to Prince to see how he was doing.

Prince was already sitting up, holding his cheek still but waved the bard off and said it was nothing.

* * *

><p>Prince flinched slightly when the cold pack touched his cheek. Having refused any treatment, he and Gui had remained at the restaurant,<p>

enjoying the good food although the elf had been eating slower than he usually did. Pretending like nothing happened, they even talked,

although Prince was always the one to initiate things and got annoyed at Gui's increasingly worried looks.

But now, they were in a little alcove of the loud street and Prince was sitting on a bench with Gui kneeling in front of him,

having gotten some ice to cool the injury. It looked pretty bad. During the entire stay at the restaurant,

Gui had seen the elf's cheek turn redder and redder, finally taking a distinct shade into the blue variety.

The bruise seemed to grow larger, almost reaching his temple and one of his eyes was bloodshot and almost swollen shut.

Prince held the cold pack against his cheek, trying to ignore the throbbing getting worse and looked at the bard,

who was looking at him with something that seemed like deepest self-regret. Prince frowned, wondering if his eye was making him see things.

"What?" he asked and stared when Gui put his arms around the elf's neck and hung his head in shame.

"I'm so sorry..." he muttered, sounding defeated and didn't know how much Prince was blushing.

"I know it looks bad, but really... it looks worse than it is." he tried to console the bard who was still muttering apologies under his breath.

Wondering what Gui could possibly be apologizing for, Prince had no idea. After all, he hadn't _made_ the peacock hit him.

Putting a comforting hand onto his shoulder, Prince left it there for a while and was quiet, wondering if this made Gui feel any better.

"Sorry." Gui said finally and got up, holding a hand out to Prince. "Do you want to go home?"

Prince took Gui's hand and got up, frowning. "What? Why? Because of this? Nah." he said, shrugging his shoulders.

"But..."

"You really want to call our date a day already? We could still do stuff." Prince told him and headed back into the crowd of the city.

Following him, Prince started to give Gui something like a tour of the city. Having been here before, he knew the layout alright,

although there was a moment where he ended up in a completely different place than intended.

They walked through the city, noticing soon that while there were a ton of restaurants and such, there wasn't much to do otherwise.

Even beginning to compare Infinite City to this one, they both agreed that this was the place to get good food,

but entertainment-wise the Central Continent was much better. And so on it went until the sun was beginning to set,

and Prince was surprised when he saw Sunshine hovering on his carpet in front of the city gate.

"I told him to come around this time to pick us up." Gui explained at his questioning look. "Since PM-ing wouldn't have worked."

"Ah, good thinking." Prince said and they got onto the carpet which began to gain in height and fly off towards their home.

All were rather quiet on the flight home, Sunshine had to maneuver around a few times to not fly with the sun directly in his vision,

going over things that happened during the day in their heads. Gui was a bit surprised when he felt a slight weight against his shoulder,

and looked over, seeing Prince's head leaning against him with his eyes closed. Smiling slightly, he wondered if the injury had finally taken its toll,

but a few seconds later the elf sat up straight again and pretended to not have fallen asleep.

"If you really are tired, I don't mind being your pillow." the bard said but got quickly brushed off.

"I am not tired, Gui." Prince said again, although he was trying to suppress a yawn at the same time.

And things got worse when they returned to Infinite City - Prince got several PMs at once, most of them from Yu Lian, sounding angry.

When they went looking for her, they found her in the tower with the rest of the OddSquad, tapping her foot impatiently.

"And where have you two been?" she asked, a nerve slightly twitching next to her eye.

"Well, out for the day-" Prince answered but almost screamed when she grabbed his collar and glared at him.

"How _wonderful_ for you! We had a _ton_ to discuss, but you didn't even bother to tell us anything!" she yelled. "It was White Day, remember?

And because of your running away from them on Valentine's Day, they threw _all_ their gifts for you onto our doorsteps! To them,

that counts as having given you something - they are all expecting a return gift. And I'm going to make you give them one,

even if it'll take you weeks to get something for every single one of them!"

"Wai-wha," Prince stuttered, getting an overload of information. "Gui! You said you discussed it with them and that it was okay!"

"Oh, did I really say that?" Gui asked back, a slightly sadistic smile tugging his lips as he watched Yu Lian letting out her frustrations on the elf.

"Gui, you _ass_!" Prince hissed.

* * *

><p>Oh my god, I haven't released anything for over a week. I must apologize!<br>And confess... I have been _cheating_ on Prince with another hot, white-haired boy in his twenties!  
>Yes, Hope Estheim sure has become a goodlooking son of a bitch over the last ten years.<br>Dammit... By the way, I really couldn't remember that peacock's name...  
>And I'm sorry if the last parts of the chapter seem rushed, I was stuck so long on the restaurant scene.<br>Oh and if some don't know it, they're in the White Tiger City - and, well, constellation wise Byakko is the white tiger,  
>with Suzaku being the red phoenix, etc... readers of Fushigi Yuugi might recognize it.<p> 


	10. Nice to meet you, I'm Prince

Okay, after writing half of this chapter three days ago and realizing how horrible it sounded,  
>deleting it and writing a <em>different<em> chapter for the past two days and realizing how bad _that_ sounded,  
>I am back to writing <em>this<em> chapter again. Hopefully, it'll turn out good this time.

**Nice to meet you, I'm Prince**

'Today, the members of OddSquad will meet each other in real life for the first time.  
>But Lan can't fight up the courage to really go. She's too scared of their reaction.<br>Will she really admit to them that she was Prince?'

_All characters belong to Yu Wo, CatMuto does not own 1/2 Prince_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Lan<strong>_

Running a hand through his hair, Yang felt really weird all dressed up and tugged at the green tie around his neck,

although he had to admire himself in the mirror for a second - not to sound conceited, but he looked quite good in a suit.

All he needed to leave now were his shoes... and for his sister to finally come out. Walking down the hall to her room,

he knocked and opened the door, leaning into the room to check on her.

Lan was sitting on her bed, looking actually rather pretty in a pink dress with fluttery sleeves and her hair in a braided bun,

but her expression was darker than her downcast eyes and she was kneading her hands together in a nervous fashion.

"You look pretty much ready. Can we go?" Yang asked, although he sort of knew the answer, considering her recent behavior.

"You go. I... I won't." she answered in a whisper, clenching her hands tightly. Yang sighed annoyed and leaned against the doorframe.

"Sis, you're talking nonesense. If you really didn't want to go, why did you RSVP with Yes? Or spent two hours on your hair and outfit?"

He noticed her flinch and a blush creeping up her cheeks. Not that he felt too sorry for her just then.

When the invitations to the wedding had arrived, she had immediately sent a positive reply back and talked about the upcoming nuptials on end,

barely even paying attention to anything not related to the wedding. For days she had talked about how to dress or what to do with her hair.

And then there had been moments like these where Lan felt down and barely left her room, slouching through the apartment in a daze,

probably cursing herself for agreeing to go to the wedding. So, Yang was quite used to this scenario just then.

"You know, everyone's waiting for us." he said and knelt down to look into her face. "They're expecting you."

"They aren't expecting _me_, they're expecting Prince." Lan told him for the hundreth time.

"You **are** Prince!" he replied, annoyed that he had to redo this exact conversation for maybe the hundreth time as well.

"But _they_ don't know that!" she retorted, feeling horrible about that truth.

Sighing, she held her head in her hands and shook it, trying to remember what had ever coerced her into playing as a male character.

Then she remembered why she had made that request to the staff of _Second Life_ and got it granted.

"Oh, this is all your fault, Yang..." she muttered, her shoulders slumping down.

Hearing her brother grumbling annoyed, he stood up and shrugged his shoulder while shaking his head.

"Yes, I am _so_ sorry for thinking that you are incapable of playing a videogame without relying on the help of an in-game husband.

Well, you sure showed me differently." he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Considering how your first team member is a hidden GM,

you surrounded yourself with a priest who can heal you immediately upon injury and is tough enough to beat monsters all by himself.

Yeah, you sure managed to get far as a Citylord and _Second Life_'s Spokesperson _all by yourself_. Congrats, sis!"

Hearing him say that made Lan's shoulders sink even lower and her mood did the same, thinking how he was kind of right about that.

That the GM who had helped create her male character actually initiated the want to join her character wasn't her fault,

but she knew if she told Yang that, he wouldn't believe it. Or hate it, considering how he loved said GM.

Yang put a comforting hand onto Lan's head, making sure to not mess up her hair too much.

"Come on, you've been so excited about the wedding." he said. "If you ignore the problem with revealing your identity,

how do you think about the wedding? Do you really want to miss it?"

"No." Lan admitted, knowing she didn't have to think about that at all. When Wolf had proposed to Yu Lian in _Second Life_,

she had been shocked - but happy. They seemed very much in love in the game already, they were bound for happiness in real life.

And Lan knew she'd never forgive herself for not attending that ceremony.

Getting up, she corrected the few strands her brother's hand had mussed up and headed towards the hallway,

Yang at her heels and they got their shoes on. They _finally_ were on their way to the wedding.

Well, not quite. Yang saw how shakey Lan's legs still were and knew she'd never be able to walk to the chapel without collapsing at least once,

so he called a taxi to their address and waited outside of the house for it. When the green and yellow car drove up,

Lan got into the backseat and felt the cool black cushion beneath her and Yang got in from the other side, telling the driver where to go.

As soon as they started, Lan felt the anxiety creeping up on her again.

Her legs felt weaker than ever before and her heart was beating so fast it was beginning to give her a headache,

but the worst thing was her imagination. No matter how often she told herself that their reaction to her being Prince wouldn't be so bad,

her team members' faces appeared in front of her and their expressions ranging from shock to anger or even disgust.

Worst of all would be if they didn't believe her and instead laughed at her.

Taking a deep breath, Lan held it for a few seconds and then exhaled, hoping to get rid of her tension then.

"Hey, sis." Yang said, having watched her. "Are you really this worried about it?"

"Yes."

"Well, if it bothers you that much, I do have an idea." he told her, looking dead serious. "We write you off as Zhuo's escort."

"Shut up." she hissed and gave him a slight smack against the arm. "Even if Zhuo-gégé agreed to that,

what if I slip up or someone realizes I'm Prince and tells Gui? He would be heartbroken."

Yang just sighed.

* * *

><p>"What are we doing here?" Lan asked, looking around the streetcorner Yang had told the driver to drop them off at.<p>

It didn't look any different from the other streets they had passed, boringly gray asphalt on the ground,

although the space between sidewalk and buildings was planted with trees in long rows, giving the entire thing a natural atmosphere.

"Aren't we on the way to the church?" she asked, joining her brother at the streetlight that was still on red.

"We are." he simply said, nodding ahead to the other side of the street. Looking ahead, the girl then saw a large marble building,

slightly hidden by some trees as well but with stained-glass windows catching the light at the right angle.

"Then... why drop us off here instead of in front of it?" she asked.

"To give you a few minutes to collect yourself and see if you are ready to go through with this." Yang told her,

ignorant of Lan's expression melting into one of gratitude. Despite him being a gastrocentric, self-loving jerk at times,

her brother really did care for her and was concerned about her. "Or to give you a chance to run away from this."

Okay, he was a jerk all the time.

Ignoring him, Lan stuck her nose in the air and crossed the street when the light turned green.

Walking down the street on the side of the church leading to the entrance, Lan started to think that things might not turn out so badly.

She was still very anxious about meeting everyone, not to mention that she wasn't sure to tell them that she was Prince,

but she could just be a normal guest at the wedding known as Feng Yang Min's sister and nothing more.

Maybe that was the best thing to do.

Although, she had moments when playing _Second Life_ that she felt horrible for lying to her team members about herself.

Those moments were usually rather brief, but they always left such a bitter aftertaste in her mouth...

Maybe she should 'fess up about her being _Second Life_'s most popular male player, but she felt absolutely horrified about doing that.

Or... she could just tell her team members... online. Aside from Lolidragon, who actually helped her create Prince,

none of them knew about her actual identity. And if she told them online, maybe the pain would be lessened to thirty percent...

Well, if they decided to hit her for lying, which she sincerely doubted. Or at least hoped wouldn't happen.

"Nah, no way they'd do that... well, Loli might..." Lan said out loud and earned herself a weird look from her brother.

Waving her hand dismissively, Lan slowed down when she heard voices close to the entrance and looked ahead,

almost tripping over her own feet when she came to an abrupt halt. A small group was standing in front of the entrance.

They seemed to be just standing there, or leaning against the banister of the little steps leading to the entrance,

talking and wasting some time until the ceremony.

"Dammit!" Lan cursed and quickly stepped behind Yang, hiding as best as she could. She recognized the voices and silhouettes.

Of all the people to meet right away...

The first people she was bound to meet on this day were her two potential lovers and the groom himself!

There was a fourth person in the round, shorter and with a higher voice, which Lan recognized to belong to Doll after a minute,

the prospect of meeting three of them right off having distracted her at first. Wondering if there was a way to get in without being seen,

she even considered really running away and going home for a minute - ignoring her intense desire to see the ceremony.

"What are you-?" Yang began to ask when he noticed his sister following him in his shadow.

"Just walk!" she hissed at him.

Feeling like a two-part horse at Hallowe'en, Yang ignored his sister's nutty behavior again and approached the entrance,

recognizing some of the people as he got closer. Although they still looked different, all dressed up.

Zhuo was the first to notice the newcomer - and the shadow of the newcomer, who noticed his stare and just made a shooing gesture,

so Zhuo pretended to not have seen Lan hiding behind her brother. He couldn't figure out why she'd do it, anyway.

Yang lifted his hand in greeting and stopped, almost feeling Lan bump into him. The girl not hiding jumped off the banister she was sitting on,

heading straight for him. She looked absolutely adorable with her hair in two buns and a blue qipao with a white pattern on it.

"Hi. I'm Doll. Maybe you don't recognize everyone outside of _Second Life_..." she said, shaking his hand vigorously,

then turned around and pointed at each of the men. "Start with the easiest, Tian over here is Wolf-gégé. He's the one marrying,"

Tian chuckled slightly and saluted slightly in his black tuxedo. "He's Gui-gégé! Don't ask Doll his character's full name,

it's so hard to pronounce..." Min shook his head and nodded at his student. "And Zhuo-gégé is Wicked-gégé, from Dark Emperor."

Zhuo and Yang grinned at each other, knowing each other from early years and being on the same team in the game.

Doll, not knowing that, turned towards Yang again and smiled.

"What's your character's name? Doll thinks it's much easier to recognize each other with their in-game name." she asked.

"Feng Wu Qing, part of Dark Emperor." he told her and, with a sudden thought crossing his mind and a smirk tugging at his lips,

Yang stepped aside and pointed at the girl hiding behind him. "And my sister."

Lan, surprised stiff by her meatshield's sudden disappearance, felt all eyes turning towards her and, in return,

shot an angry glare at her brother who still grinned like an evil moron. Ooohh, she was _so_ going to make him pay for this!

Blushing furiously, Lan looked at the ground.

Having peeked a few times from behind her brother, she had gotten glimpses of the three guys in suit, okay one in a tux,

feeling like her lucky stars were kind to her to let her see those bishies all dressed up. And Doll looked absolutely adorable!

Although she thought she had seen Min see _her_ and had tried to hide even more, but now she was in the full open!

"It's nice to meet you!" Doll said in her usually cheerful voice. "Maybe you heard me just now or not, but I'm Doll. Over there is-"

"Ah, Doll, no need to make introductions!" Lan told her, feeling her nerves getting the better of her. "I know them all... quite well, actually."

Everyone's eyes on her felt so intense like they wanted to burn holes into her. What had she started?

Why had she said that? Now she had no other choice but to explain how she knew them so well.

"How do you know them?" Doll asked, curious as a kitten. "Are you a fan of the Infinite Band?"

A save! Doll was presenting Lan with a good excuse to know them all - well, except for Tian who wasn't actually part of the band,

but belonged to the well known OddSquad... so knowing him would be explained, too... right?

No... even a die-hard fan wouldn't know the band and team members as well as she did.

"Actually, I know because... well... um..." Lan stuttered, trying to come up with a good way of saying this.

Was she even trying to come clean _now_? If she thought about it, admitting it here, outside in just a small circle was easier.

And considering how two people out of the entire group already knew she was Prince, it wouldn't be so bad... maybe.

"Well... N-nice to meet you..." she finally said and bowed slightly, her head red as a tomato. "I'm... I'm Prince."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Gui<strong>_

Min was rubbing his hair dry with a towel. Doing this while walking from the bathroom to the kitchen,

he stopped when his eyes caught the calender hanging next to him. And then he noticed today's date circled with 'Wedding' written in it.

Taking a second to process that word, he slapped his hand against his forehead and wondered how he could forget about today.

And here he had thought he was simply sleeping in on a day off. No, he had set his alarm extra for this day, him and his typically organized mind.

Although... throwing a look at his cluttered surroundings, he was glad that his _mind_ was always organized.

Ignoring the clutter, he headed into his bedroom, throwing the towel and the pants he had just put on after the shower onto the bed,

donning his dark suit and indigo tie.

It didn't take long and Min heard the doorbell ringing, so he adjusted his hair one last time and answered it.

"Ah, you're ready to go, just as I thought. Perfect." was the way Tian greeted him, looking good but also rather nervous in the tux.

Dimly remembering that Tian said he'd be picking him up, Min nodded and shot a last look at the stack of papers on a close-by table...

Whatever. A wedding between two of his friends was more important than another day filled with grading papers.

Slipping into his shoes, Min left the apartment and locked the door, following Tian out of the building and into his car,

which he had parked just out front. Getting in, Min noticed some packages in the back and a long tissue paper thing.

"...she doesn't have her dress yet?" he asked when Tian got in, both buckling their seatbelts.

"She did, but it still needed last-minute modifications." he answered, chuckling slightly and began to drive.

"So, Yu Lian's got you wired to do all sorts of last minute pick-ups and deliveries?" Min wondered, grinning, and heard Tian laugh.

"Pretty much." he said and heard his moby beeping at him. When he had to stop at the next traffic light,

he took it out and checked the SMS he had gotten. Sighing slightly, he put it away again.

"Something else to grab?"

"Yep. She's been sending me SMS all day for various stuff." the groom said, although he didn't look too suffering about it.

After a little detour to grab something else before the wedding, the two men were back on their way to the church,

still with enough time before anything even began.

"Any idea how many people will show up?" Min asked, knowing the rough size of the church.

"Not really, I lost the view on the list." Tian admitted, turning the corner. "Although we're going to stay behind before heading to the reception,

have a little celebration for guests who might suddenly choose to drop by and all that. Otherwise, we'll just have to wing it..."

Tian shot a sideglance at Min and then looked back at the street.

"Prince will be there." he finally said, grasping the professor's attention. "So almost the entire OddSquad will be together."

"Prince is coming? Wait, why not the entire team?"

"Lolidragon said she couldn't make it." the groom sighed slightly. "And Prince's response was among the first to return.

The writing was so shakey it was almost indecipherable. But I'm pretty sure Prince'll come, considering the excitement online."

Min smiled at that, remembering the sudden proposal online and the way Prince dropped the popcorn he had been eating.

He felt happy, knowing that he'd finally be allowed to meet Prince in real life after having wondered for so long who he really was,

but the elf had always rebuffed any attempt to find anything out about his life outside of the game.

But there was no way he'd miss out on an important event like this, especially since he almost had to force Yu Lian and Wolf to marry in-game.

* * *

><p>"Let's see, the bride's room..." Min mumbled, holding the paper tissue packed dress in one hand and looked around.<p>

His steps were cushioned on the thick, richly decorated carpet and the fake mahogany panelling made the doors look all the same.

Then he saw one with 'bride's room' written on it and knocked. "Yu Lian?"

"...Gui?" a voice from inside called and the door opened a slit and a pair of brown eyes peeked out. "So he got you and the stuff?"

"Yep. Here." he answered and held the dress out to her.

"Thanks. If all has been picked up, then..." she said, taking the dress and began mumbling to herself, closing the door again.

Shaking his head slightly, Min headed back out of the church to get some fresh air and sunshine before the ceremony began,

seeing Tian already outside and was probably doing the same. Or just taking a break from all the running around he had to do.

The professor leaned against the other opposite side of the banister and watched Tian for a bit.

"...are you sure Prince is going to come?" he finally asked, hard to admit that the elf wasn't leaving his mind.

"Prince said so. It's still almost two hours until the ceremony." Tian answered, smirking slightly. "Excited?"

Min laughed slightly embarrassed. "Kind of. I mean, we're meeting each other for the first time in real life." shrugging his shoulders slightly,

thinking of seeing Doll rushing around the place, being a bundle of excitement herself. Min tugged the tie a bit looser and opened the first shirt button,

feeling like he was suffocating in the suit. A reason why he hated dressing up and why he only did it for special occassions like this.

A short while later, Zhuo came out of the church and went down the steps, shooting glances down the streetsides.

"You look like you're searching for someone." Min stated quite obviously and saw Zhuo tugging the moby in his hand and turning around again.

"Yeah. Yang sent me an SMS, saying he and Lan'll arrive soon." he muttered, looking down the street again. "Although why escort...?"

"Mh?" Tian looked at Zhuo, who seemed to not realize that his last bit was audible, but decided to let it go when someone else exited the church,

jumping down the steps to stop right in front of him. Doll looked excited, but a bit aggitated.

"Wolf-gégé, Yu Lian-jiejie's asking. You got the rings?" she asked him, slightly out of breath.

"I got them." he told her and pulled the small box out of his pocket. Nodding, Doll rushed back inside and was out again within a minute,

looking a bit exhausted and used her final strength to jump onto the banister to give her feet some rest. Zhuo looked over his shoulder,

then nodded and turned around to greet Yang who was approaching the group, and for a second Zhuo had a weird expression on his face.

Ignoring it, Min listened as Doll, ignoring her tired feet, jumped down and began the introductions. Adorable and cute as she was,

he couldn't see why she was incapable of saying Guiliastes. It wasn't _that_ hard to pronounce...

Feeling someone's gaze on him, Min looked over at Yang and saw something moving, but it was so fast, he didn't know if it had been real.

Maybe he had imagined it, his excitement over Prince attending the ceremony clouding his visual judgement. But then he saw Yang smirk,

stepping aside and revealing the girl standing behind him. So it had been she who looked at him...

Well, it wasn't like he wasn't used to his female students studying him every chance they got.

"Ah, no need to make introductions!" Lan stuttered with her cheeks flushing a deep color. "I know them all... quite well, actually."

She was right about that. Given how he was her Literature Professor and the groom the physician of the U she was attending,

quite natural to not need introductions. He didn't know if she knew Zhuo, but the way he and Yang had greeted...

They seemed like friends who knew each other before _Second Life_ came out, so she might've met him before.

But something seemed to nag at her, the way she was still stuttering about, like a huge carousel of thoughts was whirring inside her head.

Finally, she turned beetred and looked at each of them for a second and then bowed slightly.

"Well... N-nice to meet you... I'm... I'm Prince."

The silence following those words was absolute and intense, even the slight breeze that had been going throughout the day seemed to stop.

Nobody moved, nobody said anything and just stood there, all digesting her words. Min, in particular, stared at her bent form,

trying to make his brain, that seemed to have stopped as well for a minute, to start working again.

Finally, Yang lifted his hands slowly... and clapped them together in mocking applause.

"Gratz, sis." he said and grinned. "I told you, it wouldn't be so bad."

"Screw you, Yang." Lan snapped and gave him a little kick against the shin and made him wobble slightly.

Min watched that whole scenario with Zhuo, laughing slightly, giving Lan an encouraging and comforting pat on the shoulder.

"Feel better about 'fessing up?" he asked, still laughing a bit and earned himself a glare from the girl.

"You know, sis," Yang said, ignoring the throbbing of his shin. "since Wolf sent the invitation to you... he probably knew already."

"What!" Lan gasped and gaped at Tian who had been rather silent since her confession.

"Well, when you came to the infirmary to check me out, you called me Wolf-dagé." he said, chuckling. "I told you, only Prince calls me that.

Besides, your mannerism was so similar to him, it made me suspicious..."

Ripping his eyes off of Lan, the professor looked at his friend.

Had he been the _only one_ not knowing?

"Do you want to tell Yu Lian, too?" Tian asked. "She's still in the bride's room, getting ready."

"Eh, is it really okay if I see her?" Lan asked back and nodded, wanting to confess now that she saw the reactions weren't so bad.

"Doll will show you!" Doll grabbed Lan's wrist and began to sprint back into the church, dragging her along. Not really hearing Yang and Zhuo talking,

those two entered the church as well and finally Tian and Min were the only ones left outside.

Tian looked at his friend who seemed to have felt his gaze and looked up, looking quite... unreacting to the news.

Min just shrugged his shoulders slightly and waved at him when the groom decided to go inside himself.

Now alone, the professor tried to fully process what had happened.

Lan said she was Prince... although Prince was most definitely a man in-game. Although, recalling every detail of the previous scene,

her annoyed face looked extremely similar to that which he had seen on Prince more often than not, especially directed towards him.

But the voice was different... well, not too different. One was definitely a girl's voice, the other that of a man, but...

They sort of did sound like they could become one voice, if one went lower and the other higher...

Shaking his head to clear it, Min re-buttoned the shirt and adjusted the tie, heading into the church.

* * *

><p>The ceremony was beautiful. The couple looked absolutely blissful at the altar and maybe it was a play of the light coming through the windows,<p>

but both looked young and full of life. And everybody cheered when they went back up the aisle, their hands together like they never wanted to let go.

People were filling into a large room opposite the altar room to celebrate the couple before they headed to the hotel where the reception was held.

Lan, though, saw Min head around a corner and down a short hallway, so she quickly followed him.

"M-... Gui?" she called out and saw him stop, looking over his shoulder at her. "Could we talk?"

He opened a door in the hallway and nodded in its direction before going inside, holding the door open for her. Heading inside,

Min hit the lights and closed the door after her. It was a small room, something like a tiny prayer room filled with two long benches,

a little alcove in the wall that was empty except for a vase filled with flowers that were slowly drying out.

"Um... I wanted to explain things." Lan admitted, kneading her hands together.

"You think you can? Explain that you somehow managed to break the game's rules by playing as a character of your opposite gender,

gathering people around you that became friends to you? To lie to them?" he asked, leaning against one of the benches,

crossing his arms. "To lie to _me_? You know my feelings for Prince. Seeing as how I declared them to Prince... _and_ you, for that matter."

Blushing, Lan remembered the many times Gui had confessed his love to Prince, or even in public,

even using a rather beautiful metaphor to explain his feelings to Lan when she had semi-forced him onto that date at the café.

"That rule thing... well, actually, I was the first person to log in to _Second Life_, so I was granted a wish." she stuttered,

avoiding to look at Min and trying to keep her resolve in explaining everything clearly strong. "And as to why the genderswitch... well..."

She scratched the back of her neck. "Short version, my brother annoyed me and I wanted to play as a guy to prove I can play games well,

without relying on others doing the work for me."

Lan shot a look at Min for a second, wondering what he might think of such a stupid reason to have caused everything,

but he didn't seem to react to it and just shrugged his shoulders slightly. But he was probably thinking plenty.

"So, you played as a guy and things just went from there."

The girl nodded and let her gaze stray onto the red carpet again. "I'm sorry, Gui. For... well, crushing your hopes about Prince."

Min studied the girl for a while, surprised at her saying that, seeing her rub the back of her neck. The way she scratched the rug with her toes,

it all looked exactly the way Prince did when he was feeling ashamed. Somehow it seemed absolutely easy for him to recognize her now,

despite her actions being so Prince-like before... he really paid attention to her, noticing things he probably ignored earlier.

"You know, I'm not really gay." he finally told her, lifting an eyebrow.

"W-what?" Lan gasped, looking up at him surprised and a blush still on her cheeks. "But... if you're not, then why...?"

"I was pretty bored of _Second Life_'s monotonous gameplay and when I saw Prince-I mean you, staring at me like that..." he explained,

shrugging his shoulders and smirking a bit. "I couldn't help myself. I just had to tease you."

"Tease... you were just... teasing?" Lan repeated, slowly grasping how her image of the gay bard Gui had started up.

"Yes. In the beginning, I was just pretending so I could see Prince get angry. It was so much fun."

Lan stared at Min, a tiny nerve around her eye beginning to twitch. Seeing the professor, the coolheaded guy with an IQ of 200,

the complete opposite of the overly cheerful and taking-nothing-serious Gui, grin like that and admitting his initial personality as Gui was fake...

Somehow, Lan was glad she hadn't admitted anything online first. Because if she had and Gui would've told her all this in _Second Life_,

there would be one dead bard heading to the Rebirth Point just then, just for Prince to follow and kill him all over again.

"Wait... you said 'in the beginning'." she stopped herself from imagining that she was corpse camping Gui back to level 1.

Min shrugged his shoulders again, a slight blush on his cheeks now. "As I got to know Prince better, I saw all of his good sides and bad sides,

I realized that I was really falling more and more for him." he admitted and saw her wanting to reply to that. "Lan..."

Shutting up, she closed her mouth and waited for him to continue, wondering if he was going to actually come out to her,

probably to make her feel awkward for having started this entire fiasco. Min took a step towards her and smiled slightly.

"I didn't fall in love with Prince because he was a man." he said. "I fell in love with his personality - the determination he displayed,

moments where he was almost adorably scatterbrained and seemed to have his heads in the clouds... all of that appealed to me.

And I told Prince... I told you that... it didn't matter to me who Prince was in real life, be it about his gender, his age or anything.

Prince is the same Prince to me, no matter what."

Hearing those words made Lan's heart beat faster and her face began to flush with color. Feeling suddenly very awkward,

she averted her eyes to avoid having to look directly at him. Somehow, this was turning out different from what she had expected.

She had thought that he'd be furious at her for lying, only listen half-heartedly at her explanation and leave,

giving her more time to feel horrible about never having mentioned any of this before. But things were going... quite well, sort of.

"Well, I guess... I shouldn't have worried so much about admitting it, then..." she mumbled. "Um, well, guess we should head back..."

"Lan."

Having headed towards the door, she turned back to look at Min. Looking at each other for a second,

Lan felt Min's hands cupping her face lightly and he leaned down, pecking her cheek for a moment before straightening up again.

Staring up at him, her face seemed to want to explode with heat and she saw Min smile a bit.

"Something I promised myself I'd do when I met Prince." he admitted, smirking slightly,

making Lan wonder if he was serious or just teasing about that. Trying to ignore that thought nagging at her,

she decided to let it slide and opened the door heading back to the celebration with Min.

* * *

><p>Why this chapter took a while is explained at the start.<br>Re-writing the confession scene of Lan three times has finally made me write it in a way that I don't hate it.  
>And this is sort of how I think, or thought, that Lan would meet everyone in real life the first time.<br>I don't know if it's really that way, don't tell me until the manhua or novel translation is that far ahead.  
>... Oh my god, I just realized... if I have to typeset a part of the chapter where she meets them,<br>I'll be too excited to do a good job of it without knowing the rest. Argh!


	11. Gōng Zhǔ

Sorry... I'm really sorry how long this took...  
>I'm in a down phase. And although my head is filled with ideas, nothing I write seems good...<br>And I think I read a 1/2 Prince spoiler by accident... but when it got removed,  
>I was told it <strong>wasn't<strong> a (real) spoiler. Dunno what to make of it...  
>But I had been inspired for drawings from reading that... and now they're ruined!<br>Hah...  
>Anyway, I'm giving you this. Because I don't want to give you any more Half Prince withdrawal.<br>I know how horrible it can be. I'm having it.

**Gōng Zhu  
><strong>

'Prince shoots his mouth off at the wrong person.'

_All characters belong to Yu Wo, CatMuto does not own 1/2 Prince_

* * *

><p>"Ah, I know." Prince said, a grin bursting across his face. "You're going to <em>clam up<em> about it, right?"

Western Wind's jaw dropped onto the floor when he heard the elf say that and was torn between annoyance and admiration,

how the elf actually had the gall to say something like that in their current situation. _What a moron..._ were Western's thoughts.

If only Prince had known what that pun would lead to...

Western Wind huffed slightly, shifting his grip on the elf that was currently being carried by him.

"Sonny, ain'tcha glad yer daddy's this strong?" he asked, although he knew the unconscious elf couldn't answer,

but Western was keeping up a conversation to stay concentrated. "Ya sure cause trouble, boy..."

Stopping in the middle of the grassy fields he was walking across, Western shifted his grip,

making Prince slide up his back a bit higher and readjusted the elf's cloak to cover him properly again.

"Why'dya have to say that...?" he wondered out loud and set off again, seeing the gates of Infinite City in the distance.

Prince continued to not answer anything Western Wind said.

As Western Wind got closer to the gates of the city, he noticed the last bit of the sun setting to his right and stopped,

feeling the strain of his clothes against his growing muscles and a few seconds later it was over. Happy to have returned to his male form,

Western looked over his shoulder at Prince who was still out like a light. Sighing exasperated, Western set off again,

this time a bit faster and felt less tired from carrying the elf further.

"Ya're not gonna wake up and get off yer daddy's back, are ya, boy?" he asked and knew the answer already.

When Western finally entered Infinite City, he ignored the nightwalkers' stares at the large hump on his back,

happy that nobody knew what was underneath. There's no way he would make it out alive or escape from the crowd then.

He sighed in relief when he was almost at the tower and he could finally drop that deadweight, when he passed Gui.

"Oh, Western Wind. You're ba-?" the bard stopped suddenly and his eyes grew wide as he noticed the cloak hiding the back hump,

then recognized the arms that were draped around the swordsman's neck. "What happened to His Highness!"

"Why did it have to be you?" Western Wind snapped annoyed, cursing his luck for making him meet _this guy_,

out of all the OddSquad members, to find him come back. "We were out level grinding and he got hit, okay?"

"Is he hurt?" Gui asked worried and made an attempt to pull the cloak off to look at any injury Prince might have gotten,

but Western Wind took a side step to avoid him and glared at the bard.

"He's fine, just knocked out! Back off, damn it!" he growled and headed for the tower faster than before,

almost running up the steps to Prince's chambers and hoped that Gui wasn't going to follow him.

Fortunately, he didn't and Western made it into Prince's bedroom without any further ado.

With a huge grunt and sigh, the swordsman almost threw the elf onto his bed and sunk down, exhausted, into a nearby chair.

"Ya gotta lose weight, sonny..." he mumbled and glanced at the elf, seeing no change. "Shit..."

* * *

><p>Prince's eyes fluttered slightly as he woke up.<p>

Frowning slightly, the elf noticed that he was in his own bed and sort of wrapped in the cloak he had worn yesterday.

He wiped some strands out of his eyes and looked around, seeing Western Wind sitting next to his bed,

his arms crossed around his big bosom and kind of frowning at the elf.

"Hey Western." Prince said and suppressed a yawn.

"Ya're a girl."

"Eh?" the elf squeaked, scared that the other had somehow found out about it. "How'd you-?"

Western merely interrupted Prince by thrusting his thumb towards the mirror that hung above the desk.

Wondering what the swordsman meant, the elf got out of bed and walked over to the mirror,

looking into it... and seeing himself. Well, with a few changes.

His face looked almost the way it had before, but his eyelashes had gotten longer as had his hair.

The platinumblonde strands were now reaching past his shoulders and reached about halfway down his back,

his shoulders had gotten slimmer and his hips wider. The chest didn't look all too different, either.

Okay, and he had shrunk a few inches.

All in all, it almost looked like Prince had merely let his hair grow and lost some weight.

"Huh." he said, staring at his reflection. "Whaddaya know."

Western Wind stared at the elf who didn't seem to care at all that his body had been altered to that of a woman.

"AnRui, right?" Prince asked, looking over his shoulder.

"Yeah. Why'dya go and say that? No wonder he's pissed..." the swordsman shrugged his shoulders. "By the way, ya got a catch."

"Catch?"

"Ya don't turn back into a guy at night, like me. Ya're perma-girl."

"...Whatever."

"What the...?" Western fell out of the chair, hearing Prince say that. "Do ya have no male pride?"

And the swordsman clambered off the floor and rushed at the elf, feeling like he wanted to grab him by the shoulders,

shake him until some sense came to the guy and he'd realize what a dramatic thing this was! He almost did it,

not the shaking but he did start to wall-talk Prince into exactly what had been done to his body and how this would alter him.

Prince listened politely, but couldn't help but grin a little. He couldn't easily explain that he didn't care about being like this,

since he was already in a female body in real life.

Both stopped grinning and talking when a knock was at the door.

"Your Highness, are you up? Are you okay?" Gui's worried voice came from the other side.

Prince went to the door and opened it, getting instantly glomped by the bard when he saw the elf.

"You're alright! I was so worried! Why did you not PM us if you got into trouble while out?" he asked without stopping for air,

but then stopped talking completely. Hugging Prince felt different. Aside from not getting instantly punched for it,

the elf's head wasn't squished against the bard's shoulder but more around his chest. And somehow, he felt more... slender.

Loosening his grip, Gui took a half-step back and put his hands on Prince's shoulders to take a good look at him,

noticing for the first time the longer hair. Prince just looked up at him, a big grin on his face and he gave Gui the thumbs up sign,

like he thought this entire situation was just as planned and freaking hilarious as well.

"Wah!"

* * *

><p>The OddSquad and Dark Emperor were assembled in Prince's chambers, listening to Western's recount of what had happened.<p>

Prince was sitting on the bed with her legs crossed, carelessly playing with a strand of her hair,

ignoring the stares she was receiving from everybody. Gui's initial surprised loud gasp had led him to call in Lolidragon,

because he thought it had been a glitch that had bent Prince's gender. Lolidragon, after seeing Prince, had burst out laughing,

finally PMing the rest of the gang to give them the big 'news'.

"Well, it's certainly... interesting." Wolf broke the silence.

"I can see the sales plummeting..." Yu Lian sighed, thinking of the many new merchandise and concerts that had been planned,

but then frowned as she studied Prince's face again. "Then again, the change isn't that big..."

"It'll be fine!" Lolidragon grinned. "We'll just have a new model for the bikini section!"

Prince shrugged her shoulders, wondering when she'd be allowed to leave her room so she could eat something.

Or at least to get away from everybody's stares. They were starting to make her uncomfortable.

Letting her eyes wander, she noticed Wu Qing staring at her with a certain expression in his eyes that she didn't like at all.

"What?" she asked snippishly and glared at Wu Qing.

"Oh nothing. I was just thinking..." he admitted, switching to the PM channel. "_He got your breast size right, sis._"

Prince glared angrily at him and landed her kneecap against Wu Qing's cheekbone the next second,

watching him fall to the ground and groan in pain. Then she turned to the rest of the group.

"Who cares? I haven't changed." she told them.

"That's right. Prince will always remain Prince." Gui said who seemed to have gotten over the initial shock.

"Prince?" Doll asked and cocked her head to the side. "Shouldn't it be Princess-jiejie now?"

Lolidragon snorted loudly and doubled over, holding her stomach with laughter.

"Just stick to Prince. Anyway, since I'm probably stuck with this body now... Loli~!" Prince said sweetly,

went over to her and grasped Lolidragon's hands into her own. "Let's go girl shopping~!"

"Yay!" Lolidragon laughed and ran off, pulling Prince after herself.

The rest stared after them and digesting that sudden behavior of Prince's.

Meanwhile, Lolidragon was rushing through the streets of Infinite City with Prince and an entourage of onlookers following them,

whispering to each other and sometimes nudging somebody else and even daring to point at the two girls.

"Why are we being followed...?" Prince asked, sighing, having hoped that her changed form might disguise her enough,

leaving her free to roam her city without feeling like the guide for some tourists.

"Cause you're pretty as a girl. And you're with the prettiest woman in Second Life." Lolidragon explained,

grinning at her last comment. "Or they just wonder why you look so familiar. They'll figure it out soon enough."

"Awesome!" the elf grumbled sarcastically.

The two entered one of the shops and began looking at all sorts of clothes, checking the parameter bonuses they gave,

elemental weaknesses or even just plain the price. Despite Prince's arguments, Lolidragon instantly nixed any full-body armor.

After all, 'you gotta show what you have' was Lolidragon's philosophy. And she was going to push it onto Prince,

no matter what she said. So they argued for a while, this looked too clothed, this didn't have _enough_ covered skin... and so on.

At one point, the two lost themselves - Prince was looking at gauntlets and other hand equipment,

Lolidragon had spotted something golden and glittery in a corner and rushed on over there. She stared at the displayed items,

finally grabbing one with a huge grin and rushing back to Prince.

"Here, try this on!" she said and shoved it into the elf's face and the elf herself into a dressing cabin.

"Mhmpf!" was all Prince could bring out, wrestling to get the fabric out of her mouth.

* * *

><p>Gui and Wicked were throwing glares at each other from time to time, walking down the street.<p>

Having first been annoyed that they seemed to have the same goal, it finally turned out that Lolidragon had PMed both of them,

asking... or rather, telling them to come to the shop she was currently in with Prince.

"Did she tell _you_ why?" Gui asked.

"No. But knowing Lolidragon, and what she's up to with Prince, it's probably carrying duty." Wicked answered.

"Hmm... Prince isn't really the type to buy tons of stuff..." Gui mumbled. "Then again..."

"It's Lolidragon." both said at the same time with an exasperated sigh.

They entered the shop that Lolidragon and Prince had entered almost an hour ago and instantly noticed a crowd,

all staring at Lolidragon who stood at the corner of the wall that separated the dressing cabins from the store.

She had an amused and superior grin on her face. When the two men entered, some of the onlookers stared at them.

"Oh hey, Gui, Wicked." Lolidragon said, waving lazily. "Great, you're here. Prince, come and show them."

"Why do you want to show _them_?" Prince's rather shocked voice sounded. "Why not Doll or... or Wolf-dage or so!"

Lolidragon sighed annoyed.

"Jeez, just...!" she muttered and reached into the dressing cabin, grabbing Prince's arm.

"You little bitch...!" Prince hissed when she was dragged out and stood stock still when she saw Gui and Wicked.

Prince was wearing a wedding dress. It had spaghetti straps and see-through white silk used as long, trailing sleeves,

a full skirt that was actually several layers of silk draped over each other. Standing, and feeling, absolutely awkward,

the elf felt her head ready to explode with redness and decided to stare at the floor of the shop.

A loud clatter suddenly came from the vicinity of the door.

Gui had, apparently, fainted dead away. And Wicked was holding a hand over his nose, which was bleeding profusely,

steadying himself against the wall with the other hand. He peeked over his shoulder back at Prince for a second.

"That looks really good on you..." he mumbled rather incoherently.

"Screw you, Loli!" Prince snapped, her face resembling a tomato, and returned to the cabin. "I'm changing!"

About ten minutes later, the group had left the store after purchasing clothes and Gui regaining consciousness.

Prince had changed into a dark royal blue sleeveless coat that looked almost black in the dark with gold trimming,

a short pink skirt with white around the hem and a matching top, silver gauntlets and knee high boots.

She was also wearing a very annoyed expression, clearly still angry over what had happened inside the shop.

"Well, you did look very pretty." Wicked said, trying to cheer her up. But it had the opposite effect.

"Whatever!" she snapped and set off through the city again, followed by the others. "I'm gonna dump this, then go off to fight some monsters!"

Wicked hastened his steps to walk next to her.

"Shouldn't one of us come along with you?" he asked and stopped when Prince did,

backing up slightly when she glared at him and struck her finger imposingly into his face.

"Damn it, Wicked!" she yelled at him. "Just cause I'm a girl now doesn't mean I'm weak!"

And she ran off after throwing the bag holding her old clothes into his face.

They just stared after her, probably realizing that Wicked had just really pissed her off.

* * *

><p>Over the next few days, almost the entire population of Infinite City had figured out that their Citylord had become a lady.<p>

From what they gathered by the chorus of people calling out for 'Miss' Prince, yelling compliments or similar things,

nobody seemed to care about the switched gender. According to the yells, they loved Prince no matter what,

as a player, an idol to them and the leader of the city, regardless of gender.

"Thank you!" Prince had once called back from the balcony she used to make her speeches from. "Look out for new stuff, then!"

And new stuff _had_ arrived. Since Yu Lian insisted that there was no harm in it, now that everybody knew,

they might as well market the female Prince. And following Yu Lian's words, pictures of the female Prince were taken,

using them in albums or even turning them into life-size posters. They were even beginning to talk about the concerts,

how people would probably love them even more, most likely wondering how the 'new' voice of the Infinite Band sounded.

Actually, it was almost like Prince was still playing as a guy.

Except... Gui.

It was nothing definite and nobody felt like there was anything to discuss about it.

But Gui's behavior towards Prince had altered slightly. In the way he talked to her or otherwise interacted with her,

even the group pictures seemed to have a different air around them now.

"Okay, where is she?" Lolidragon snapped, looking around the room and seeing everybody from the OddSquad, except Prince.

Huffing annoyed, she began to bombard the elf with PMs although none of them got answered. Or they just got ignored.

While Lolidragon fumed, Gui quietly stole out of the room.

He sighed quietly, thinking that Prince had good reason to not appear - with the room filled to the top with props,

cameralights and whatnot, it would've been several boring hours of posing and smiling for pictures.

And there had been hundreds of those over the past few days. Lolidragon seemed to be in overdrive.

Looking around, Gui strolled through the city and wondered where Prince might be hiding out.

Not in the café or restaurant, he noticed after checking, although he had been sure to find the elf there.

He finally did find her.

Prince was sitting on the ground behind the tower, leaning against the wall and looking completely relaxed,

but she started and almost jumped into a position like she wanted to run away when she heard Gui approach.

"Oh, Gui, it's you..." she muttered and relaxed her position again.

"Lolidragon is looking for you." Gui said and turned his head slightly away from her. "No, I wasn't sent by her."

"Mh."

Both were quiet, Prince on the floor with her eyes closed and looking about ready for a nap,

while Gui hadn't moved from his position at all and seemed to have his eyes fixated onto a nearby tree.

The atmosphere between them seemed oppressing, at least on Gui's side and he finally turned towards her,

hanging his head low. "Prince, I'm sorry!"

Prince jumped to her feet at his sudden loud exclamation and frowned slightly.

"Sorry for what?" she asked.

"For, well, my behavior lately..." the bard explained. "I wanted to explain-"

"Hey, no need. It's obvious." she said and shrugged her shoulders. "Doesn't take a genius to figure it out."

Gui blushed slightly, hearing about how she knew everything.

"Ever since I've been changed into a girl, you don't hover around me anymore, no constant love proclamations,

incessant body contact or anything. It's because I'm not a guy anymore." she said, sighing and holding her head,

like she was suffering a severe disappointment. "Looks like you lied back then, saying you'd love 'Prince' no matter what."

"That's not it at all!" Gui snapped, shocked to hear her words. "Absolutely not! I still love you!"

Prince stared at him and the bard averted his eyes, his cheeks flushed.

"Just... I've known you as a man so long..." he stuttered, trying to make her understand. "Suddenly you're a woman,

it's... well, not awkward... it takes getting used to. No, I mean, first you're a man, then you're a woman, so... yeah..."

The elf cocked her head to the side, listening and she couldn't help but think that, for a genius with an IQ of 200,

he sure wasn't being very eloquent about this thing. Then again, it _was_ a pretty awkward situation.

Shrugging her shoulders again, the elf took a few steps and crossed her arms across her chest.

"It changes nothing." Prince said, then felt her arm suddenly grabbed and she was turned around,

two warm arms circled themselves around her, holding her close and a few of Gui's strands tickled her cheek.

"You're right. Nothing _has_ changed." he said close to her ear, sending shivers down her spine. "I love you, Prince."

Trying to ignore his breath tickling her ear and hear his words over her own fast beating heart,

Prince felt her face flush with heat. Slowly, she circled her arms around his neck and both stood like that for a while.

Gui leaned back a bit, letting go of Prince with one hand and gently carressing her cheek instead.

Feeling him lift her chin slightly, the elf looked up at him and gazed for a second into his amethyst eyes,

then saw them close and him leaning down. Knowing what was coming, Prince quickly closed her own eyes,

waiting for the kiss to happen and felt excitement and anticipation rising up inside of her, he must be so close now...

"_There_ you are!" Lolidragon yelled.

"Argh!" Prince screamed and she and Gui jumped about a foot apart, staring at the newcomer.

Looking absolutely furious, but with a grin on her face, Lolidragon marched over to them.

"Sorry to interrupt your little Moment there," she said, not sounding sorry at all. "but I talked to AnRui. He'll change you back."

"He will? Really?" Prince asked excited.

"Yeah. Took some persuasion, but he finally agreed he might've overreacted a bit too much..." she muttered,

shaking her head. "He said if you come and apologize properly, he'll turn you back into a guy."

"Sounds like you've known for a while now. Why not tell me earlier?"

"I was _going_ to tell you after the pictures, but you decided to not show up." Lolidragon explained.

The thief took a minute to let her eyes stray from Prince to Gui and back, finally putting an arm around Prince, turning away from Gui with her and grinning widely.

"_Are you sure you wanna change back? You two looked pretty _happy_ there, you know._" she said in a PM.

"_Hey, I decided to play as a guy for a reason. That hasn't changed!_" Prince replied, blushing furiously.

"Whatever. Just make sure you repay me properly for my help." the thief said out loud. "Oh, and Meatbun. He helped a lot."

"Yeah, I'll cook him the best meatbuns!" Prince cheered.

* * *

><p>Maybe a slightly strange place to stop?<br>Anyway, seems like I'm slowly getting out of my down phase... at least, I hope so.  
>Oh and bilingual bonus cookie for anyone who recognized the title of this chapter!<br>For those who don't know, it's mandarin for Princess. Except I couldn't get the v over the U here.


	12. Eternal Love

The following chapters will get a rewrite: Sweet Melody, maybe Letting It Out, Ghong Zhu.  
>I'm not sure when as I'm also writing for Second Prince.<br>Speaking of Second Prince... well, I'll tell you at the end.

**Eternal Love**

'Prince has decided to try his hand at it, and he'll do it.  
>But things aren't working so well... how frustrating...!'<p>

_All characters belong to Yu Wo, CatMuto does not own 1/2 Prince_

* * *

><p>Gui sat back in his chair with his guqin on his lap and sighed for a second, then read the paper in front of him.<p>

Chaos reigned over the paper - notes were written in random places, even on the back, some crossed out and varying in sizes.

Being quite used to his completely incomprehensible way of writing things without looking at the paper, he could read it easily.

But he knew nobody else would, so he grabbed a clean sheet of paper.

"Gui!" somebody called upon entering the room. "Ah, the new song's done?"

And the next second, Prince was standing behind the bard and looking over his shoulder at the notes.

"Wow that's... um... yeah... you know what you wrote, right?"

"Yes. Don't worry, I was about to write them clearly."

"What about the lyrics? Are they done, too?" Prince asked. "Or is just the music done?"

"The music. I do know some lyrics for it, but I haven't written them down yet." the bard answered. "Eager to sing?"

"Mh. Actually, I was thinking..." the elf hemmed and hawed for a bit. "About the lyrics... I thought... maybe... I can do it?"

Looking up surprised, Gui turned towards Prince and almost felt his jaw drop at the simple request.

"You want to...?" Prince scratched his cheek and avoided to look at Gui.

"I feel like I'm not doing anything. You do the music, Wicked the choreography, Loli the clothes... I'm just a mouth-organ."

"No, you're not. Your Highness," Gui quickly told him. "just a mouth-organ... that's silly. You're much more important."

The elf was silent about that and felt rather pleased to hear that he was important. Not that it made him feel any better.

He waited a bit to see if Gui was going to tell him that he could write the lyrics. But nothing happened.

So, taking matters into his own hands, Prince put his arms around Gui's neck and snuggled up against him slightly.

"Please, Gui...?" he whispered, making sure his breath was tickling the bard's ear. "Let me have a shot at it..."

"I-if that's what His Highness wants, of course!" Gui stuttered in a loud voice, feeling his whole body tense at the sudden bodycontact.

"Thanks!" Prince told him with a smile and let go instantly, seeing Gui's face as red as a tomato.

Still blushing furiously, Gui quickly wrote the notes clearly on the new sheet of paper and handed them to Prince.

While Prince gratefully took the paper Gui offered him and left, the bard felt rather down.

His heart was still beating way too fast and his face was hot. But Prince sure was mean at times, teasing him like that.

He knew he was Gui's absolute weakness and he could easily wrap him around his finger, getting whatever he wanted.

Well, not that Gui hated it. It was an improvement to the usual behavior Prince displayed towards him.

Although he didn't mind that too much, either. If Prince was happy by letting his anger out on him, that was okay.

Like he had said, whatever Prince wanted...

* * *

><p>Prince was humming quietly to himself, studying the paper and writing on another, oblivious to Gui watching him.<p>

The bard was standing next to the door of the room and watching Prince writing lyrics. Studying him.

The way his hand made the pen trace the paper, the casual way he pushed some annoying strands of hair behind his ear.

How he leaned back in the chair, chewing on the end of the pen when he was deciding the next line.

"What's with you?" Wicked's voice suddenly ripped him out of his thoughts. The swordsman was standing next to him, looking annoyed.

"What?" Gui asked back, feeling his usual dislike of the guy boiling up inside of him and making him sound defensive.

"You have this sense of self-satisfaction in your face." Wicked growled at him. "I don't like it. What did you do to Prince?"

"Hmpf. Why should I be the one to always have done something? Prince could easily be the one to start."

"You dare...!"

Prince glanced towards those two for a second and grumbled, annoyed that they were at it again. He couldn't care at the moment.

Writing lyrics was harder than he thought. And he didn't want to take too long - no way was he going to waste time being a go-between.

"Prince!" Lolidragon called upon entering the room, looking at Wicked and Gui for a second, then proceeded towards him.

"Mhm?"

"What are you doing?" the thief leaned over his shoulder. "...are you writing lyrics? Why?"

"I can try, can't I?" Prince asked back, feeling annoyed because of her asking.

After all, there was no reason that he couldn't try it.

"Whatever. Aren't you gonna stop them?" Lolidragon thrust her thumb towards the two guys still banging heads together.

The elf just waved his hand at it. He was kind of sick of stopping them.

"Anyway, we still need you to try out the new clothes I and Ice Phoenix have made."

"Not now." Prince told her, focusing on the paper.

"Mommy. Mommy, I'm hungry." Meatbun's voice called out of Prince's pocket and squeezed out of it, bouncing on the table.

Poking Meatbun's cheek playfully, Prince lifted the little pet up in his hand and set him on his shoulder, promising food in a few minutes.

And then Lolidragon suddenly began nagging at him about how it was apparently '_majorly_' super important for him to try clothes on.

She put a lot of emphasis on the majorly part. And her voice was almost as loud as Wicked and Gui's yells were getting.

"Quit bothering me!" Prince snapped at her and jumped out of the chair, causing Meatbun to almost lose his balance.

The elf's sudden voice had stopped them all, even Wicked and Gui's fight, and they all stared after him, rushing out of the room.

Quickly trying to think of a place where he could have some peace and quiet, Prince rushed down the hallway, steaming.

After a short stop in the kitchen, he decided to go into his room and close the door, maybe even lock it.

Anything so he could think for a while and be left alone.

When he entered his room, Prince sat down at his desk and put Meatbun on it a bit to the side and the brought meatbuns next to it.

Watching his pet munching away happily already made him feel calmer.

* * *

><p>Gui lifted one hand and knocked a few times against the mahogany door, waiting for an answer.<p>

Hearing none, he knocked again and strained his ears, but it was still quiet. Maybe he wasn't here after all?

Opening the door slowly, the bard peeked inside and saw the elf's figure sitting at his desk, bent over and writing.

"Your Highness?"

"What!" Prince growled and turned around and Gui almost jumped and screamed, but controlled himself.

The elf had his eyebrows furrowed together and making lines on his forehead, his eyes seemed slightly unfocused.

He looked furious and Gui noticed a few dark rings beginning to appear around his eyes.

Then he noticed the cause of his frustrated expression.

The floor was littered with dozens of paper sheets, some were crumpled up while others were torn apart.

It looked like a tornado had come through here.

Glancing a little at some of the papers, there were some thick, aggressive lines crossing everything out, tearing the paper.

"May I suggest a coffee break...?" Gui asked cautiously, lifting the tablet with two coffee cups in his hand up a bit.

Prince took him up on that and Gui sat down on the edge of the bed after handing one of the cups to the other.

"Phu, that woke me up." the elf sighed happily after taking a big gulp of the drink.

"Good to know. You looked severely unrested. Lyrics, huh?"

"Yeah... whatever I write, it doesn't work at all." Prince turned in the chair slightly, staring at the papers still on the desk.

Gui was quiet, studying Prince and decided to not tell him what he thought.

Even if he just suggested to him to let him do the lyrics as usual, Prince would refuse.

He had decided to write the lyrics for this song, he wasn't going to quit on it. Even if it took him weeks, he'd write them.

"Gui, would you play it for me?" Prince asked suddenly, turning towards the bard.

"Eh?"

"Play the song. Please?" the elf smiled. "It might help me."

"I don't mind." Gui told him, lifting his guqin. "But the music isn't really supposed to be done by the guqin."

"I know, but still. Give me a chance to see what you felt when creating the notes."

Gui nodded, feeling a bit uneasy, but began to play the music he had worked on.

Prince leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes and listening intently to Gui's playing.

It was very calming. Although he wasn't playing all the notes, Prince could feel it.

A little bit of what Gui must've felt when he wrote the music down.

The low rhythm of it and the little instances where the notes were just slightly faster, it was definitely a love song.

When Gui finished playing, he avoided to look directly at Prince, feeling his face flushing.

He was quite used to confessing his feelings to Prince, he did it on a daily basis.

But having him sit there and listen intently... even if there were no words, it felt very different and more personal.

"Gui?" Prince's gentle voice was luring him.

Since he sounded very calm, Gui turned slightly towards Prince and lifted his eyes to meet the other's.

Prince was smiling at him, something that almost looked like a blush on his own cheeks. "Play it again?"

Feeling his face grow hotter, Gui nodded again and played the music the way he had done just a few seconds ago.

This time, Prince was humming the missing notes.

* * *

><p>Prince was looking at the other four members of the OddSquad, sitting on chairs in front of him.<p>

Although he had called all of them, asking them to sit and listen, he felt rather selfconscious suddenly.

"Um, thanks for coming. So... well, Gui finished the music for a new song. And I wrote the lyrics. And I wanna know what you think."

The others just nodded silently, waiting for him to continue. Coughing slightly, Prince gripped the microphone tighter.

"So, Gui, whenever you're ready."

"Prince, shouldn't I wait for your cue? Since... well..." Gui whispered slightly.

After having played the song a second time to Prince, the elf had suddenly started writing the lyrics and was done within a minute.

But he had refused to show them to Gui, saying he didn't want to ruin the surprise. So except for Prince, nobody knew the song now.

"No, you just play." Prince told him, waving his hand slightly. "I'll just start."

"Alright..." Gui adjusted his grip on the guqin and began to play the song, Prince starting to sing almost immediately.

_So that my love for you would always continue this way  
>These hands which pray to the nightsky, still could not let go<em>

_Those casual days were repeating, unafraid of anything  
>Being able to welcome tomorrow together, it was natural, right?<br>Being protected by strong eyes, it would have been great for time to stop now  
>Your face illuminated by thousands of lights, I want to see that<em>

_So that my love for you would be forever  
>These hands which pray to the nightsky, still could not let go<em>

_No matter what I do, I still take you for granted and I wanted to grow up so much  
>Because aside from you nobody can complain or grumble<br>The first time we kissed, I still remember it, that sweet taste of that moment  
>When I think about it now, I was probably too blessed<em>

_So you wouldn't notice the tears flowing down my cheek, I hung my head  
>"I love you" your words were slightly trembling<em>

_Because I don't want to part with my love for you  
>I swear to the nightsky that these hands will never part again..<em>

_In order for my love to last forever  
>I pray to the nightsky, that these hands will never let go again<em>

_Because I don't want to part with my love for you  
>I swear to the nightsky that these hands will never part again...<em>

Prince's cheeks were red and he knew it. But he didn't mind too much, his mind and whole body was enveloped in the song.

It was just the kind of song that felt like it was gently embracing whoever listened to it... but the silence was getting awkward.

Wondering if they didn't like it, Prince dared to peek and instantly got glomped by Doll.

"I love you, Prince-gégé!" she squealed and held him tight.

"Thanks, Doll."

"I love you, Mommy." Meatbun said, jumping around on the top of Doll's head and onto Prince's shoulder, snuggling up against him.

"Meatbun..." Prince muttered and felt another pair of arms embracing him sideways.

Gui had set down his guqin and was hugging Prince. Feeling rather caught, by surprise and quite literally, Prince looked around.

The song must've had some sort of effect on everybody because Lolidragon just stared at him with an open mouth.

Wolf and Yu Lian, who were already sitting next to each other, were hugging and looking deeply into each other's eyes...

The elf averted his gaze.

It was quite normal for those two to be very lovey-dovey, no matter where, but this seemed so much more personal...

"So... you like it?" Prince asked. He preferred a verbal verdict much more than this emotional-physical thing.

Actually, this was creeping him out a little bit. Lolidragon seemed to snap out of her stupor and jumped out of her seat.

"That is awesome! No revisions needed, the fans will love this!"

* * *

><p>Nobody seems to think that the fangirls, when brought to the Max level of Love Love, could... well, do things... to Prince.<br>The song is Sugiwara Sayuki's Eternal Love and was used in FF XIII. But they took it out in the english version.  
>At least they didn't give us another Lewis song...<br>Anyway, speaking of Second Prince, this song might feature in that story at some point.  
>The Anthology and Second Prince are not connected, but only this little detail might appear.<br>Just think that Prince writing this song has happened in Second Prince at some point as well.


	13. Married Life

Maybe I should hurry up and make the next few chapters my theory-ideas.  
>Then I would finally have them out of my head without losing the details.<br>I mean, reading how all my theories are being proven wrong, eh, kinda depressing.

**Married Life**

'An evening in the life of Min Ju Wen and Lan...'

_All characters belong to Yu Wo, CatMuto does not own 1/2 Prince_

* * *

><p>Min entered his home with a sigh, tugging slightly at the collar of his shirt.<br>That school building always made him feel so trapped...  
>Tossing his keys into the little round bowl next to the door, he heard the fast, dampened footsteps coming from the kitchen down the hallway and approaching him. Looking up, he saw his sweet young wife smiling at him. The brunette had her long hair loosely tied back, the sleeves of her pullover were pushed up to her elbows and she was holding a spatula in one hand.<br>"Welcome home!" she greeted him.  
>She didn't know how much those two words always lifted Min's spirits, no matter how often she had said them to him already. They had been married for a few years now, but Min could still remember the rose he had given her on that day and, as he had predicted, she had been so surprised by the gift and clumsy that she dropped it and the ring had fallen out from between the petals.<br>"I'm home, Lan..." Min sighed slightly and was about to put down the paperwork he had taken home from the university.  
>"Stop!" Lan shrieked. The man stopped in his action and first looked at Lan, then the perfectly clean and clear wooden sideboard. Actually, all the hard surfaced furniture was scrubbed clean and gleaming like they had a fresh layer of polish on it. She was always a very meticulous cleaner, hating to leave things dirty.<br>"Right..." he muttered and turned to his left, leaning into the first room next to the entrance door.  
>It was a small room with a desk hidden somewhere beneath large piles of papers and folders with a computer peeking out as well, some metal filing cabinets that were generally empty with all their contents lying on any surface that Min could find. Lan refused to clean that room thoughroughly until Min took care of cleaning the paperwork up, but he never did, so she merely aired the place and vaccumed the gray rug and did some minor dusting. And he knew she hated that habit of his of putting his to-do papers any place he could reach. She had been trying to keep him from doing so, unsuccessfully. So now she just wanted to prevent it from spreading all over the place and that seemed to work, for the most part.<br>Throwing a futile glance around the room, Min just threw the pile onto another one on his desk and turned around, wanting to hug his wife, but she was already walking back towards the kitchen. Feeling a bit stupid and dejected, standing there with his arms halfway lifted for a hug, Min frowned.  
>"Ah, hang on." he said and took two big steps, embracing Lan from behind and nuzzling her cheek.<br>"I spoil you..." Lan muttered with fake exasperation and gave him a quick peck on his cheek, then felt his grip loosen and she entered the kitchen again to finish dinner. Min sighed happily, having enjoyed feeling that slender body between his arms and that quick lip contact. It was always just a little thing, but considering the long time he had to go without such little things before the marriage, it was only understandable to get so happy about them... right?  
>Sighing, this time with annoyance, Min decided he might as well spend the time until dinner doing something productive and grade those papers. Heading into the chaotic room that was his office, he dropped into the black chair with the arm rests... and spent about two minutes looking for the right papers, despite having just put them there a little while ago. When he was crossing out wrong answers and circled the right ones, Min wondered again why he had chosen to teach at a university. It wasn't exactly very stimulating and the grading and lesson-preparing he had to do was, quite frankly, a bore. With his intelligence, he could've easily become a doctor or coroner or something that kept his brain going and not make him sleepy while looking at various students' handwriting and trying to decipher what it meant. Then again, he had to admit that his own handwriting was abyssmal at times...<br>"About 20 minutes." Lan said when she entered the room a while later, having ditched the spatula, and saw Min working out a new lesson on the computer. Curious, she walked over to his chair and took a look at the screen, seeing nothing but long sentences packed together in bunches except for a few arrows pointing to various parts of the bunches and saying 'hand print-out here' or similar.  
>"No peeking." Min told her teasingly and got nudged by her.<br>"Come on, I'm not your student anymore. I can look."  
>Instead of letting her look, Min leaned back in the chair and wrapped his arms around Lan as she gasped, then she felt herself being pulled onto his lap. Sitting on his lap now, with her legs dangling over one of the arm rests, Lan looked up into her husband's face with its slightly boyish, teasing expression and a glint in his eyes before he kissed her.<br>"Again with the cuddling..." she mumbled after the kiss broke off and felt him peck her cheek and ear, tugging her closer to his body.  
>"Mmmh, you know I get like this after work." was all Min said before kissing Lan again, letting his hand roam along her sides before it settled on her back and pulled her into a slightly more upright position. Reciprocating the kiss, Lan put her arms around Min's neck and felt a shiver run down her spine. Min pulled slightly at the ribbon holding her hair together and let it fall to the ground, letting his hand roam through her long tresses, caressing their softness. He felt her flinch slightly when he kissed her neck.<br>"Mh... I have to get dinner out of the oven..." Lan finally whispered with a little sense of guilt.  
>Min stopped but didn't move a muscle. He didn't really want to stop. But he had to admit that he was getting hungry himself, although not just for food, and he knew how much his wife liked to eat, especially homecooked meals... so he let go a little reluctantly and Lan gave him another peck on the cheek before heading back into the kitchen to rescue their dinner. Min just leaned back into his chair and sighed.<p>

* * *

><p>After eating the simple, yet delicious, casserole Lan had created and getting slightly scolded by her for not bothering to put the dishes <em>into<em> the dishwasher when clearing the table, Min was sitting on the couch. The living room had a very heavy, modern theme to it with black leather, chrome and glass being the main material of the furniture, although Lan had given it the soft touch by putting several vases full of tulips here and there. And she always made sure to exchange wilted flowers with fresh ones every week.  
>"So? What's happening?" Lan asked, sitting on all four next to Min before crawling halfway across his lap and sprawling all over it. "Any pop-quizzes or tests?"<br>"Not for another week or two." Min answered. Despite not being his student anymore, she still liked to know what was going on and sometimes wondering how she'd deal with spontaneous pop-quizzes despite living with her teacher and having had a big chance to _see_ him prepare said quizzes. But with her lying on her stomach across his lap and her very _bored_ glance at the screen, it was obvious that she hadn't joined Min on the couch to watch TV with him. She wasn't sure what it was, some documentary about something-and-someone-or-other, but it wasn't something that could somehow interest her. And Min knew what she actually wanted, so he dutifully put a hand onto her back and began rubbing it, massaging it lightly. Lan sighed quietly, feeling herself relax and enjoying the touch when Min continued the massaging underneath her pullover.  
>It was almost a routine for the two of them. Sometimes, they'd be in traded places, although Min didn't sprawl quite that much. With all the gesturing and lifting his arms to write on the blackboard during the day, he needed a massage or rub focusing on his neck and shoulders. But there were also nights where they just lay together on the couch, zapping aimlessly through the channels before watching whatever sappy, actiony or whatever kind of movie they could find before one of them ended up falling asleep.<br>And sure enough, a few minutes after Min began massaging his wife, she had fallen asleep and was making those little bubbly noises that he had become so familiar with over the last few years. Smiling to himself, Min decided to let her be and focused on the program he was watching while still keeping his hand where it was before. It didn't take long and Lan stirred again, sitting up slightly with a rather unfocused look in her eyes and stifling a yawn.  
>"I'll go brush my teeth..." she mumbled, but put her arms around Min's neck first and pecked his cheek before paying the same attention to his lips. Tugging her closer, he reciprocated the kiss and the one that came after that and a third, longer one after the second. When Lan finally stopped kissing him for more than a second, although she kept her face close to his, their nosetips touching, Min smirked slightly.<br>"Didn't you want to go brush your teeth?"  
>"Mhm..." Lan agreed but didn't move, keeping her tired, unfocused eyes on his. With a chuckle, Min rubbed her back and pecked her again. Then he picked her up in his arms and trodded towards the bathroom, where he set her feet back onto the ground. She flinched for a second at the bare contact to the cold tiles. But she braved it and teetered over to the sink and grabbed her toothbrush, beginning to brush her teeth. Min went back to the living room and finished watching his program. But having been rather distracted for the most part, he couldn't really get into it anymore or remember the trail of thoughts he had followed before while watching, so he turned the TV off the second the credits hit the screen.<br>Getting up and stretching, he returned to the bathroom which was now empty and began brushing his own teeth. After doing a quick check if everything in the kitchen was turned off, the lock on the entrance door up and generally things were okay, Min headed into the bedroom and changed into his darkblue pajamas. The lump in the bed showed that Lan had already turned in. She wasn't asleep, though, because he could feel her eyes burning themselves into his back as she was 'secretly' watching him. And as soon as he lay down in bed, the lump moved swiftly over to him, circling her arms around him from behind and snuggling up against him, feeling his closeness while her hands were inching up his stomach.  
>"You're warm.. so nice." Lan said, always amazed and finding comfort in that warmth. It was so wonderful to have it, especially during the winter. And it somehow still held that comfort, even during the warm summer nights. She backed up slightly, loosening her grip, when Min turned around to face her, grinning slightly.<br>"So I'm just a trusty old heater." he said and eyed the red negligée she had put on. "Why wear that thin thing if you just get cold?"  
>Lan just stuck her tongue out at him for a second before pulling him down into a kiss.<br>Smirking slightly, Min leaned into the kiss, embracing her with one arm and letting his free hand caressing the soft skin on her thigh. She mewled slightly beneath him when his kisses travelled lower, tracing the line of her neck and he enjoyed feeling her, hearing her voice and all...

* * *

><p>"Hooh, you two sure are late to come online today...!" Lolidragon greeted the two as they logged into Second Life. She was grinning widely at the bard and swordsman, which didn't bother Gui too much. But Prince's face immediately heated up to a bright shade of red at her words, and that knowing grin that infuriated him so much, and he grabbed his sword and began to chase after the thief.<br>"Shut up, Loli!" he yelled at random intervals whenever Lolidragon sneered or giggled while running away from him. Both having high agility, it was tough to say if either of them would win, but it was amusing and spectacular to watch nonetheless. Gui just shook his head at the behavior of his wife's game-character.  
>"She always falls for it..." he sighed.<br>Lolidragon's taunting greeting was heard every day, no matter what time Gui and Prince logged in. Reportedly, she even said it if just one of them logged on, with the less hilarious result when Gui ignored her. As it robbed Lolidragon of her favorite hobby of teasing people, she was always happy when Prince logged in as she knew he would react.  
>"They both seem to find it fun, so why not let them." Wolf agreed, watching the two whirlwinds dashing around the room. Gui just shrugged his shoulders, then flinched slightly and held a hand over his shoulder, feeling it smart slightly painfully. Up ahead, Prince seemed to notice as he slowed down until he came to a complete stop and stared at the bard with a slightly apologetic look in his eyes.<br>"_Sorry about your back..._" he sent him over the PM channel.  
>"<em>Oh, you know I love it when you scratch my back open.<em>" Gui replied and chuckled when the elf's face turned red again and he looked away, scratching the back of his head in shame, then cleared his throat and continued to chase Lolidragon and in her annoyingly knowing grin.

* * *

><p>Kinda... rushed the ending bits. And I originally wanted to upload this once Ghong Zhu's rewrite was done and up.<br>But that hasn't been going so well... so first this. Can I say I find it funny that romance/fluff is chapter no. 13?  
>And this chapter is in no way related to JBF. This chapter is also not supposed to show that marriage to Gui would be perfect.I'm sure Zhuo and Lan had similar, very loving days and nights together, but JBF was mainly about their relationship breaking.<p> 


	14. I Forgot

A rushed chapter, actually, but I wanted to give you something.  
>Hearing this song made me think how very much it suits Gui...<p>

**I Forgot**

'Gui had a pretty bad day, apparently...'

_All characters belong to Yu Wo, CatMuto does not own 1/2 Prince_

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><p>Gui sighed heavily after logging on, slumping down like a huge weight was lying on his shoulders.<br>_Son of a bitch..._ he thought about no-one and to no-one in particular. He shuffled over to the table, looking rather clean and odd with the lack of paper files scattered around and on top of it. The bard sat down onto one of the chair's arm, sighing again, like nothing could somehow make him feel better.  
>Even when his reason to live - at least in Second Life - entered the room because he had been notified about the bard's login, Gui barely reacted. He just moved his head slightly to the side and watched Prince approach him with a spring in his step, carefully watching the other with a worried eye.<br>"Your Highness..." Gui mumbled and meekly lifted his arms slightly, before giving up and letting them dangle on his sides again. Prince studied him, waiting for the usual overzealous greeting from him, but when nothing came, the elf cocked his head to the side.  
>"Is something wrong? Are you feeling okay?" he asked, wondering if maybe Gui was coming down with something.<br>"It's nothing. Everything's fine." Gui answered, although Prince instantly saw that something wasn't right.  
>"Bad day? Um... we weren't <em>that<em> bad in school, right?" he asked, afraid that maybe the class had been too hard on the guy today. Granted, he generally tried to keep a low profile during Gui's classes - afraid to be found in real life - but sometimes there were instances that caused Prince to be sent out of class. Generally happened when Gui just wouldn't shut up about Prince and his complexion and the 'way his fighting was so beautifully fluid like water'.  
>"No, class was alright..." the bard admitted. "But I don't want to bother you with my problems."<br>"Come on, tell me." Prince gave Gui an encouraging pat on the back. "I'm kinda curious, anyway."  
>Gui studied Prince for a few seconds, wondering if he really should. He was quite used to acting the clown in front of the elf, but generally he was in very good spirits at such a time. And admitting what all had gone wrong over the day... wasn't particularely something he wanted to do. But Prince wanted to know... and considering how often the elf rebuffed the bard's advantages, having Prince actually interested in something about him was a rather pleasant change.<br>"...for starters, I was on my way home and realized I forgot my phone at work."  
>Prince leaned against the table and looked at Gui when he began his little story. And he immediately wondered why that brought the bard down so much. Forgetting the phone wasn't generally that bad. He had to admit, if Prince forgot his phone, he'd be literally lost - that thing's GPS maps were his only lifeline. Losing that feature if he ever ventured out of his usual environment, he'd be incapable of finding his way home. But it couldn't be such a great dilemma for Gui, right?<br>Unbeknownst to Prince, though, the famous elf was Gui's display background and the entire phone was filled with things regarding Prince... while a lot of people knew that Gui was a huge follower of Prince, the random spouts where he went completely insane and grabbed everything he could find about the elf... well, it wasn't really something he wanted to tell anyone. Especially not the elf, judging his reaction when fangirls were a bit too overzealous about him.  
>"Well, you could easily just grab that tomorrow, right?" Prince asked, wondering if there was more to come. There had to be, to make Gui this depressed, right?<br>"I figured I'd do that." Gui answered, shaking his head slightly. Instead of sleeping in on a sunday, he had planned to get up early and track down one of the custodial staffs to unlock the doors and let him grab it. But that plan had been given up, as he was about to tell the elf.  
>"Then I got to my door and noticed the key wasn't turning right." Gui continued, shrugging his shoulders. "I tried and tried, but it didn't. Then I realized that I had forgotten to lock the door in the morning." Prince's hand slipped off the table at that news and his jaw fell slightly.<br>"That was pretty... I mean, you could've been robbed easily!" he said in shock and Gui nodded.  
>"I thought the same. And believe me, I tore through my apartment for almost an hour to make sure nothing got stolen..." the bard told him. "...and then I saw my phone, on the table." Gui remembered his relief at finding it at home, although he felt stupid for having forgotten it at home and being completely ignorant that he had done so until he had returned home for the day. "And then I realized I had forgotten to turn the rice cooker on before leaving in the morning, too..."<br>Prince just stood there and listened as Gui mumbled about the various tiny things he had noticed at the same time that had gone wrong under his breath. Cocking his head to the side, he studied Gui as he continued to mumble, thinking how weird it was to hear of the generally perfect-planned Gui to fall apart so much.  
>"-while I let the rice cooker cook finally, I decided to just take a shower and bath... well, the shower went fine, but then I realized I forgot to let the bathwater in." Gui continued, holding his head in one hand and shaking it, starting to realize just how stupid he could be at times. It wasn't normal for him to be so scattered, but generally these kind of days tended to appear on days where he didn't have to go to work or anything. And on such days, it generally didn't matter that much.<br>"Kchh!" Prince quickly threw a hand over his mouth and bit his lip to prevent any more laughter to slip out.  
>He really didn't want to offend Gui or make him feel any worse, but he couldn't help himself. He was torn between wanting to laugh and slapping the palm of his hand against his forehead. It was just so unlike Gui, even if he was an overly happy clown around Prince most of the time, he never struck him as a scatterbrain who would forget the simplest of things to do every day. But, he supposed, everyone had their days.<br>"...I think I forgot to lock the door before heading to bed, too." Gui said more to himself. "And only mail today was mom's congratulations... totally forgot about that, too..."  
>"Congratulations?" Prince asked when he heard Gui and pulled himself together.<br>"Ah, for my birthday." the bard replied, his mind still somewhere else.  
>"Birth-?" the elf gasped and his jaw dropped as he stared at Gui in something that resembled horror and surprise. He was quiet for so long and looked so shocked that Gui began to worry slightly about the elf. Kneeling down slightly so he could look into the elf's eyes, Gui almost lost his balance when Prince suddenly moved and put his arms around him, burying his face in his chest.<br>"Y-Your Highness?" Gui gasped, a blush immediately working up from his neck to his cheeks.  
>"...Happy Birthday!" Prince almost yelled. "And... well, I didn't know, so... um, before I give you a Last Minute gift... I thought you'd like a hug!"<br>Gui listened to the elf's explanation over his sudden action, but kinda found it a bit hard to hear him because his heart was beating so loudly in his own ears. Somehow, though, it go through to him and the simple way Prince had just turned around the whole chaos that had been his day to sheer paradise was just too sweet of him. Feeling a bit daring, Gui carefully put his arms around the elf's body and even dared to tug him slightly closer.  
>"Thank you, Prince." he said, smirking slightly after a while. "If this is my gift from now on, I guess I should forget my birthday every year."<p>

* * *

><p>The song in question is <em>I Forgot<em>, or _Wasureteta_, by Gakupo.  
>Gakupo is generally the voicevocaloid I associate with Gui the most, because... well, the voice is nice and they kinda look a lot alike, again, kind of rushed, but I thought it fit in quite well for now. The video with the english translation was taken down, but you should still find it somewhere on YT.


	15. Leaving the nest

I'm currently not in the hospital, I'm at home.  
>My surgery's been post-poned for the second time.<br>This is fantuckingfastic. _Fantuckfastic_, people!  
>So I figured, I'd spend my time at home, writing new HP chapters.<br>While I'm in the hospital, I'll do the re-writes.

**Leaving the nest**

'Lan has got to get home before her parents do.  
>But she doesn't really wanna leave...'<p>

_All characters belong to Yu Wo, CatMuto does not own 1/2 Prince_

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><p>"Mmh..." conscious of the rummaging and shuffling around, Gui felt himself waking up and surrounded by darkness. Still lying underneath his blanket except for the top of his scruffy hair poking out, he stretched and tried to remain awake, feeling the fabric against his skin. Grumbling slightly, he poked his head out and flinched, covering his eyes at the much lighter environment. The darkblue curtains had been pulled back, the window propped wide open to let some fresh air and sunlight in. He sat up on his elbow and looked around, searching for the source of the noise. His eyes fleeted for a second across the desk in one corner, buried under paperwork, the large wardrobe that took up an entire wall's length with two of its many doors covered with mirrors and it was reflecting the bed area, him and, he smiled slightly, when he saw the source sitting on the floor in front of the bed, just an arm's length away from him. Lan was busy stuffing her belongings into her red overnight bag, oblivious of the sunlight pouring in and beginning to warm her thighs. Gui watched her for a bit and finally leaned forwards, putting his arm around her.<br>"You're not trying to run away from me, are you?" he teased, nuzzling her cheek with his lips. She must've showered just a while ago, because she was giving off the slightly cinnamony smell of his shower gel and her hair was still damp, held up by a barrette and exposing her soft neck. Lan interrupted her packing and leaned back a bit to put her hand onto Gui's head.  
>"Hey, you're up." she said. "Nah, just finishing my packing - since you stopped me from it yesterday evening." Gui could hear the smirk in her voice and chuckled.<br>"Felt like you were trying to get away as fast as possible." he admitted with a shrug, tightening his grip on her and pulling her closer, feeling the warmth of her body against his own and drinking in her scent, planting little kisses along her neck.  
>"I just wanted to be ready, in case we didn't get up early today." Lan told him and flinched slightly when she felt the kisses getting stronger, so she tapped her finger slightly against the back of his head and felt like she had to remind him. "I told you, no hickeys."<br>"You said no _visible_ hickeys." he retorted, lifting his free hand to waggle his finger. He had understood and taken that warning seriously, just that he took it to mean that he _could_ leave marks on her body, as long as they were covered up once she got dressed again. And sure enough, when he pulled her collar over her shoulder, there were several love bites and hickeys uncovered and Gui pressed his lips against one of them, intent on having another one join the cluster already present. He smiled when he felt Lan squirm beneath his touch and sigh quietly when he turned his attention back to her neck.  
>"Anyway, breakfast's ready." she said, running her hand across his forearm a few times before she got up and left the bedroom, Gui looking after her. He sighed, knowing a lost cause when he saw one. He knew he wouldn't be able to coax her back into bed with him, so he gave himself another stretch before getting up and trotting into the bathroom to take a shower.<br>When he entered the kitchen a bit later with a bathrobe thrown over, his hair still frizzy and standing in every direction, he found Lan balancing the last plate onto the small dining table. She had prepared a spread, with various cheese or meat slices to choose from and she pulled the small collapsible table up close, putting the basket full of bread slices on it, along with pitches of coffee and juice. They sat down and began to eat, making various little sandwiches with different toppings or just grabbing a quick slice of cucumber or tomato. The majority of the meal was spent quietly, because Gui had learned to leave Lan alone when she was eating, as she said that the stomach was the master during mealtime.  
>"I'm going to miss your cooking." he sighed as he bit into his latest creation, which contained a cold slice of the roast beef she had made the evening before. Lan looked at him from over the rim of the cup and took a sip before answering, smirking slightly.<br>"If you want, I can bring you a lunchbox to school." she said and enjoyed hearing him chuckle.  
>Later, when they were finished, things became a bit more tense. They seemed to move around and do everything in slow motion, prolonging their actions and trying to take as long as they could. The leftovers were stowed into the fridge, the dishes rinsed off and carefully put into the dishwasher. Gui watched as she slowly lifted the dishwasher door and took a minute to close it, leaning against it slightly as it began to hum quietly to itself. He put his arms around her from behind and buried his face into her hair. Her body fit perfectly against his own, their warmth so comforting.<br>"I don't want you to go yet." he whispered. Lan squirmed slightly and he let go, worried that he had done something wrong - made their separation just all the more harder now. Instead, she turned around and threw her arms around his neck, burying her face into the folds of the robe. Gui embraced her again and she leaned further into it, lowering her left hand and slowly rubbing his shoulder, a habit of hers when either of them was upset.  
>"I don't want to, either." she confessed. "But if I don't, Yang will blab." Both smiled at that. They knew that Lan had to go home soon, so she would have time to tell Yang the coverstory, otherwise he'd let something slip when their parents got home from their latest honeymoon. Their frequent trips always gave them time to be together, but because her parents were very unpredictable, they often didn't know an exact time-frame that would be 'safe'. So Lan didn't visit him as often as either of them wanted to, especially visits where she slept over were much too rare. Gui noticed that Lan's head was filling with worries and mulling over various potential alibis, so he rubbed the small of her back with his finger and she lifted her head, ripped out of her thoughts. Gui smiled down at her and finally got her to cheer up a bit, then leaned down and kissed her for a long time.<p>

* * *

><p>Lan turned the key and opened the door, but only managed halfway before something blocked the door from opening any further. Horrified, she carefully peeked into the hallway of her home and looked behind the door and barely contained the gasp coming out of her throat. Several suitcases and travelling bags were carelessly slumped against the wall. Taking her keys out of the keyhole, she took big, tiptoeing steps into the hallway and hoped she could sneak in.<br>"Xiao Lan, sweetheart~" a loud, high voice called out to her and several pairs of footsteps approached the hall. Gasping loudly, Lan threw her overnight bag onto the pile of suitcases, hoping it would blend it perfectly, and slammed the door shut and turned around to face her parents and brother. Her parents, as radiantly lovey-dovey as always, must have just come home, because they were still in their obligatory vacation wear. Their latest trip had taken them to america's warm states, so her mother was in a short blue dress with white hibiskus flowers painted all over it and her father wearing his khakis with his travelling shirt - a simple white t-shirt with a print of him and his wife on it. He wore it on every trip they went on and had at least one picture proving it.  
>"Mom, Dad, hey!" Lan said, trying to conceil her surprise. "You guys are home early."<br>"We got a bit bored and coming home earlier saved us some cash, too." her mother answered, waving her hand dismissively. Lan gave a slightly uncomfortable laugh at that, wondering if it was noticeable. Her eyes strayed past her parents to her brother behind them and she worried what her chances were now. With her parents already home, there was no way she could take Yang aside and tell him her newest coverstory without looking suspicious. And it could be that they had already inquired why their daughter wasn't at home, so perhaps he had already said something. Noticing her gaze, Yang just lifted his shoulders and gave an exasperated shrug with a helpless grin plastered on his face, like he was saying 'can't help it'. Although she knew it wasn't his fault that their parents were already home, his expression was pissing her off. He could've sent her an SMS or something, give her a heads up or something. It would've been so easy to drop by a bakery and get some cake before coming home, everybody would be too happily stuffing their face with cake to wonder why she wasn't home.  
>"Xiao Lan?"<br>"Eh, what?" she almost jumped a foot, getting ripped out of her thoughts. Her mother and father were looking at her strangely. Quickly trying to change this awkward situation, Lan headed past them and towards the living room. "So, what was the trip like? Was it warm? Did you see stuff?" And then she felt a hand gently gripping her wrist and stopping her in her tracks. The girl turned and noticed it was her mother and then she instantly worried, seeing her usual round eyes slanting slightly and turning impish.  
>"Where were you?" she asked in a casual tone, but her voice had stopped swinging from note to note. "We come home and all we find is Yang, surrounded by empty lunchboxes and soda cans, and you're nowhere in sight. And Yang won't tell us anything straight." Lan paled under her mother's unusually stern look and could almost hit herself for her first thought being her sudden desire to smack her brother, for apparently not eating the meals she had prepared before leaving. Pulling her arm slightly didn't yield anything, her mother wasn't going to let go of her grip so soon.<br>"Well, I wasn't here cause I slept over." she admitted without thinking and could almost kick herself. "At Jing's house. I don't know why Yang bought lunchboxes, I cooked and put everything into the freezer before going, hehe..." And she wasn't really lying about that. She wasn't very good at lying, anyway, so telling this almost-truth was her best bet. But instead of calming them down, her mother pulled Lan a bit closer and inhaled slightly.  
>"You smell different. Xiao Lan..." her mother said and a smirk appeared on her lips. "You have a boyfriend, right?"<br>"Gh!?" Lan gasped and, without wanting to, could feel the heat creeping up her neck and into her face within seconds. It didn't make her feel any better that her mother finally let go and her arm flopped loosely next to her side now, because she turned towards her husband and almost rushed into his arms.  
>"Oh honey, isn't it wonderful? Our Xiao has a sugardaddy~" she cooed, not knowing the faux pas she had just mentioned and then instantly turned towards her daughter again, eyes shining with curiosity. "And? And? Is he good looking? How old is he? How long have you been together? You were sleeping over at his place, right?"<br>Lan, with a tomato red face, tried to wave her questions off, but her mother kept prattling on and on about all sorts of questions that became increasingly embarrassing. It wasn't helping that her father joined the one-sided conversation, asking questions of his own and it definitely only helped in making Lan uncomfortable that Yang was beginning to snort loudly into his latest soda. Before she could make a decision - smack Yang in the face or storm into her room - her mother's voice became audible to her ears again. She noticed her red overnight bag in her hands.  
>"You already were over at his place, probably a few times now. Here." she said and shoved the bag into her daughter's arms. "You'll need this, I mean, you seem so happy coming home from him, you want to stay there, right? We don't mind, right, honey? We don't mind, goodbye!"<br>And the next second Lan was on the other side of the door again, overwhelmed by the latest happening.

* * *

><p>"...annnnd that's why I'm here."<br>Lan laughed sheepishly, scratching the floor with her toes, having finished telling a surprised Gui why she was at his door again. He just stared, starting to get over his shock at the doorbell ringing so late and it being her. He had listened to her little story and finally sighed, leaning against the doorframe. He gestured her in and when she did, he closed the door behind her and they headed towards the living room after Lan took her shoes off.  
>"Okay, I'm not quite coherent about this..." he muttered, rubbing his finger between his eyebrows. "Your parents were home earlier and you got busted for staying at my place. And instead of being angry at you, they show support by throwing you out?" Lan fidgeted slightly, hoisted her bag onto her other shoulder and finally set it onto the floor. Somehow, the way he was summing up the situation, it made it sound really bad.<br>"Mmh... pretty much, yeah." she said. She watched him lean against the wall for a bit, still massaging his forehead and probably mulling things over in his head. Lan shifted her weight onto her other foot and waited for him to say something, so she knew what to do. After her mother's excited take on the news, she had tried to not come here right away and wandered the streets for a bit, thinking of really staying at Jing's place for the night. But her feet had led her here after all and she didn't mind at all. Finally, Gui pushed off the wall and clapped his hands together.  
>"Okay, I know what we're going to do." he said. "You'll stay here for a few days, let things calm down a little bit and then we'll go back and I'll properly introduce myself to your parents." Lan nodded and almost jumped into his arms, cuddling up to him, and feeling a huge wave of worry disappearing from her shoulders. The introduction was something she had been wondering and worrying about for a while now, so she was happy that Gui was finally bringing it up.<br>"Then we'll grab some more of your stuff and bring it here." he continued, rubbing her back slightly.  
>"What?" Lan asked and leaned back slightly to look up at him.<br>"And we'll continue that until all your stuff is here."  
>"Are... are you asking me to move in with you?" she asked suspiciously and saw Gui's eyebrows rising higher until they were almost gone. He tightened his grip on her a little bit and then looked serious again, before a smile crept over his face again.<br>"That was my plan from the beginning. Why do you think I bought the double bed after you first slept here?" he said and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't see any problem, either. Your parents support us, so why do you sound so surprised? Do you want to make it official? Okay, we'll get married."  
>Lan felt her jaw dropping with every one of his words and the heat rising into her face again. Then she felt laughter creeping up from her throat and before she knew it, she laughed and shook her head, wondering how the situation had turned into this. Gui silenced her for a second with a kiss before both laughed some more.<br>"You crazy nut. Okay, I'll marry you."

* * *

><p>I had trouble thinking up a title for this.<br>Celebrate, people, for the first time, we have a lost chapter!  
>What is a lost chapter?<br>It's when I start writing a chapter, but then get so horribly stuck that I cannot proceed. And at such an occasion, I start writing a different chapter, which gets uploaded before the other one. So, the first chapter is basically lost. However, that doesn't mean I'm giving up on that chapter! Merely that it might take a while to get uploaded.  
>By the way, I have a question to my readers...<br>Do you want to read smut Half Prince chapters? Some of my chapters have hints, but nothing is outright smutty. And I just want to know what the general opinion is about that.


	16. Ai no Uta

After the rushed chapter, something that hopefully isn't that rushed.  
>But probably very depressing. But that's normal for me.<br>See, this is what happens when I listen to sad love songs late at night.

**Ai no Uta**

_'A depressed Prince brings everyone down...'_

_All characters belong to Yu Wo, CatMuto does not own 1/2 Prince_

* * *

><p>The rest of the Odd Squad was sitting stonely in the chairs around the big table in the meeting hall. Everybody was quiet, still too raw from the events of the previous week to really do or say anything. Prince wasn't there, of course. He had logged on over the past week and the days preceding, but not very often. When he did appear, it wasn't for more than an hour which he spent running through all of Infinite City, like he was running away from or looking for something. Nobody really knew how he was doing in real life, except Wu Qing. And he merely said that Lan wasn't leaving the house, spending her time shut in her room and ignoring her brother's fist pounding against her door, wanting her to come out and do something, like cook. But Wu Qing had fallen on deaf ears and he had finally given up.<br>With the depressing atmosphere in the room it was good that the weather was mimicking them as best as it could. While it wasn't raining, the sun was covered by thick layers of clouds that made the sky look almost a silvery gray color and putting all of Second Life into a winter-like feeling. The usually bustling streets were completely empty, everybody hiding in their houses, the inns or shops. But nobody was buying anything. The only sound came when Doll's chair squeaked slightly as she folded her arms on the table and set her head on them, watching Meatbun flopping on the table rather bored.  
>It sounded too loud. Too fake.<br>"...how is Prince?" Lolidragon's unusually feeble voice cut through the silence. She had felt the urge to say something and had felt like she needed to clear her throat first, trying to do it as quietly as possible. It felt like her voice was breaking from the lack of use over the last few days, talking having been too painful.  
>"Don't know..." Wu Qing forced himself to answer, staring at the wooden pattern the table had. No matter how he had tried, Lan had not left her room, not unlocked the door to let her brother in and not answered to anything he said. He wasn't even sure if she had eaten anything.<br>The large door behind them opened with a loud screech. Almost grateful for the sound, everybody turned in their chairs to look at it and saw the figure standing in the doorway, one hand clutching the knob like they couldn't stand upright without it. With his white hair and creamy complexion, the elf almost disappeared into the gray atmosphere and colorless stonewall visible behind him. Either he didn't care or didn't notice how the wild strands of his hair were hanging in his face and slightly obscuring his vision. His eyes seemed to be looking through everything into something they couldn't see.  
>"Prince..." Lolidragon said quietly, watching as the elf took half a step further into the room and let his head turn from one side to the other like he was searching for something. Almost like he was expecting to find it behind the door, he gripped the edge of it with his free hand and leaned over to look at the empty space behind the door and the almost cold air originating from it.<br>"Mommy?" Meatbun feeped and slowly began to hop its way towards its parent with adorable little _pot, pot_ sounds. Almost every pair of eyes in the room fixated on it and watched it make its way across the room. Prince, not finding anything behind the door, turned around again and was just barely taking note of his pet approaching him. In a fashion like it was an automatic gesture, the elf lifted his hand slightly to form a little platform for the pet to jump on, which it did with one big leap. Prince's head was still lifted and staring at an indefinite spot around the corner of the table, then he let go of the door and cupped the hand with Meatbun in it with the previously occupied one. Staring intently at its parent, Meatbun snuggled its face against Prince's thumb, a gesture which always made Prince smile. Maybe out of habit or because he actually noticed it, Prince lowered his head to look at the little round form in his hands and saw Meatbun looking up at him with an almost hopeful glint in its eyes. But instead of making the elf smile, his bloodred eyes suddenly seemed to focus properly, really seeing something for the first time since he entered the room. He was looking directly at Meatbun and something in him snapped. His index finger twitched slightly and he bit his lower lip as he felt his eyes beginning to burn, tears already making their way out of their hazel-shaped prison and running down his cheeks. With a sound that was a mixture of a gasp and a sob, Prince clutched his hands, and Meatbun, to his chest and turned on his heel, running out of the room and down the hall he must've just come from.  
>Everybody half stood up from their chairs when they saw this, but nobody followed. Nobody said it because it hadn't been done before, but they just somehow knew that it would not be appreciated if one of them ran after the elf. Instead, they would be hated for doing so. So they all stood like statues for a second or two before they sat back down and returned to their catatonic state.<br>Meanwhile, Prince was running down the hall blindly, clutching his pet still in his hands and fighting back tears. Suddenly, he grabbed the knob to one of the doors like he knew exactly what it led to, although all the doors looked identical, and opened it, rushing into the room. It was when the door fell shut behind him that, perhaps because he didn't know the room so well after all, his leg got caught on something and sent him careening towards the floor. Instinctively using his arms to stop himself, Meatbun flew in a large arch onto a bed and was unscathed, but Prince smacked onto the ground and felt his chin make some split-second contact with the stone floor and the palm of his hands got scratched. Meatbun, worried about its parent, bounced on the bed until it was facing the door again and looked at the elf who remained on the ground. Apparently, he had missed the ornamental footstool that stood akimbo to the comfy-chair it belonged to.  
>"Mommy?" Meatbun saw Prince's shoulders shaking slightly and the pet jumped off the bed and hopped over to the figure. The closer Meatbun got, the easier it was to see that Prince's entire body was shaking in a steady rhythm and the stone floor directly beneath his face was stained dark with constantly falling tears. Worried that maybe he had hurt himself, Meatbun jumped up and down next to the elf's head and then onto his back. "Mommy? Mommy!"<p>

* * *

><p>Wicked was walking down the hallway for a second time. Looking for Prince, he had left the Meeting Hall and made his long way to the room at the top of the central tower, to Prince's personal room. But he hadn't been there. The room had been completely devoid of human presence and looked like it had been for a while now, the little knick-knacks on the shelves covered in a fine layer of dust already. And making his way back now, Wicked was wondering where the elf might've run off to.<br>"Xiao Lan..." he mumbled to himself and stopped in his tracks. He noticed something white sticking slightly out of one of the keyholes from the hallway's doors. As he watched, wondering what it was, it became bigger and more round... until a small round shape plopped out of it and onto the floor. The little thing turned and Wicked recognized Meatbun, now with some dents in its soft flesh from the tight keyhole, making its way towards him.  
>"Mommy's Wicked! Meatbun-bun heard your steps!" Meatbun called and Wicked kneeled down, letting it jump up on his palm.<br>He wasn't sure what he should say to the pet's way of referring to him, but that didn't matter just then. Carefully, he kneaded Meatbun's form with a finger to get rid of the dents while Meatbun was prattling away continuously. He wasn't quite sure what it was about, but only the later part was important.  
>"-and then Mommy fell!"<br>"Is Prince alright?" Wicked asked, worry instantly sweeping over him. Meatbun puffed its cheeks up, remembering everything that happened.  
>"Mommy was crying! But Mommy didn't say anything... and then went to bed." Meatbun answered. "You want to see Mommy, right? Mommy's in here!"<br>And the little pet bounced off his hand and down the hallway again, stopping in front of one door that looked no different from the others. Following Meatbun, Wicked hesitated for a moment and then slowly turned the doorknob and opened the door. Meatbun immediately bounced across the room and onto a bed up against the wall while Wicked looked around for a minute. The first thing he noticed was a comfy-chair standing diagonally to the wall and the footstool belonging to it, although the stool was leaning at an odd angle against it. It looked like somebody had given it a pretty good kick. Otherwise, the room was empty except for a big bed up against the far wall, right underneath the high windows. Prince was lying in the bed, the covers pulled up around him, sleeping. Wicked slowly approached him, not wanting to wake the elf. The bed was made up with three large pillows, one which Prince had rolled up and was halfway lying on top of, hugging it closely to his body.  
>The swordsman couldn't help but smirk at that - Prince always did become a clinger in his sleep. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, Wicked studied Prince for a few seconds and finally reached out, carefully stroking through his soft white hair a bit. The elf squirmed slightly.<br>"Don't wake me..." he mumbled incoherently, trying to escape the hand touching his hair.  
>"You're dreaming. And talking in your sleep." Wicked said, chuckling a bit. He had never seen Prince do that before.<br>"I know... don't wake me..." the elf clung tighter to the pillow and buried his face in it. "Let me stay..."  
>Wicked frowned slightly at his words, wondering what he actually meant by them. He didn't stroke Prince's hair anymore, just letting his hand hover slightly over his head, a few white strands still between his fingers and just watched the elf. Try as he may, the elf was waking up and mumbled, clawing his hands into the pillow like he was falling and it was his only means of saving support, trying to block out all the light in the room to instantly return to his dream, finally sighing.<br>"Pri-... Xiao Lan..." the swordsman saw Prince sit up slightly, leaning on his right hand with his eyes half-closed. Then he noticed that they looked like that because heavy tears caught in his long dark lashes were seemingly glueing them shut. Sniffing slightly, Prince rubbed his free hand over his eyes and tried to open them further, probably giving up the chance of going back to sleep immediately. But letting his eyes sweep over the room for a second, the elf just wanted to sleep even more, the drabness of the room making him feel worse and then he noticed the swordsman next to him.  
>"Wicked... what is it?" he asked, rubbing his eyes dry again.<br>"Xiao Lan..." Wicked said again, feeling awkward and unsure what to do. It was breaking his heart, seeing Prince cry and knowing that he had no way to really stop it. Rubbing the back of his neck slightly, he let his eyes wander through the room for a minute. "Why... are you _here_? I mean, not in your room. It looks deserted."  
>"...memories." Prince answered, locking his gaze onto the white sheet beneath him and rubbing the fabric between his fingers. Wicked glanced back at Prince, the way he was letting his head hang low and noticed the corner of his mouth twitching slightly before they turned down again and his chin beginning to tremble.<br>Like it was an instict, Wicked grabbed Prince by the arm and pulled him closer, putting his arms around him in a tight, almost protective, hug. Prince was surprised by the sudden movement and closeness, feeling one of Wicked's arms around his shoulders and the other around the small of his back, the warmth from his body against his own and the few strands of hair that were just barely tickling the side of his face.  
>"It's okay... just let it out..." he whispered gently, his lips close to his neck, not quite in a kissing fashion but merely hovering close to it. Hearing him say that seemed to break down some kind of barrier within the elf and he put his hands around Wicked, clawing his fingers into the fabric of his clothes and hid his face in the swordsman's chest, letting his body get shaken with several sobs as he was crying.<p>

* * *

><p>"I'm not just saying this as a friend, but also a physician, Prince."<br>Prince was still lying in the same bed, with his back facing the room and his eyes fixating on the rectangular pattern on the close wall. Despite having pretended to be asleep whenever he had gotten a visitor since Wicked had initially found him, Prince didn't do it now that Wolf was here. But he wasn't turning around, either. Wolf sat down on the edge of the bed with a sigh and studied the elf's form a bit. His eyes strayed over to the tablet laden with covered bowls or plates, the food that Prince was refusing to eat. He hadn't eaten any of the meals that had been brought to him, an unusual thing. Despite others having asked, pleaded and begged the elf to finally eat something, he didn't so they had turned to Wolf, thinking that he might get through to Prince somehow. Even if he had to scare him with some sort of medical talk. But no matter what Wolf said, Prince hadn't complied in any way, hadn't even said anything. Only his eyes had moved for a second, seeing who was entering the room from the corner of his eye.  
>"Even if it's not much... eat something." Wolf finally said, ruffled Prince's hair for a second and got up to leave. Just as he put his hand on the doorknob, he heard Prince sigh. Looking over his shoulder to see if the elf was actually doing anything, he saw nothing. Prince had merely made a content sound as he snuggled deeper into the blankets, probably with intention to sleep even more. Shaking his head slightly, the priest left the room and returned to the sitting room where the rest of the OddSquad was sitting. Yu Lian, seeing him, immediately got up from the chair she had been sitting in and walked a few steps towards him.<br>"Any luck?" she asked and Wolf shook his head again.  
>"He gave me some form of reaction, but I doubt he's going to be eating on his own."<br>Wolf sat down on one of the couches and his wife sat next to him, cuddling up slightly to him, finding comfort in each other. Hearing Wolf's words, the other people in the room all hunkered down with a sigh, all wondering what to do with Prince. Meatbun looked close to tears, its parent having basically thrown the little one out of the room - not with actions or words, but with lack of them. When Meatbun had bounced after Wicked, the pet had looked back at Prince and waited for something. For Prince to pat the sheets and coax the pet to sleep next to him, to maybe smile or wave, showing that it was okay for it to go somewhere for a bit. But Prince had done nothing, completely ignoring Meatbun, so it just left the room and its absence hadn't been acknowledge by the elf since.  
>Wu Qing was lounging on the chair he was on, letting his arms dangle behind him, staring at the ceiling. Sometimes, he started tipping back a bit and stopping, the front legs barely making any sound upon contact with the floor again. He went over the priest's words in his head again.<br>"If you say 'on his own'... you mean we should force him?" he finally asked.  
>"No, that would be a bit drastic." Wolf admitted and smirked slightly. "But he can't stand up to the secret weapon."<br>"What's that?" Wu Qing wondered, rolling his head to the side to look at him.  
>"Doll, of course."<br>It wasn't Wolf who said it, but Yu Lian instead. She sat up, taking her head off of her husband's shoulder and smiling a bit. Once all pair of eyes had been on her for a few seconds, they switched over to the girl sitting at the table, looking just as surprised as the other people. Crossing her arms slightly and frowning, she tried to think up why she should be so great that she could be considered a secret weapon.  
>"She's adorable and persuasive - if one of her characteristics doesn't coerce Prince into eating, the other will." Yu Lian elaborated. Finally seeing what she meant, the majority of people in the room nodded, except for Doll who was swaying on her chair to a silent rhythm a bit. She finally nodded and jumped off the chair, grabbing the pet off the table it had been sulking on.<br>"I'll do it! But only if Meatbun can come, too!"  
>"Of course."<br>Cheering, Doll set the pet onto the top of her head and rushed out of the room, lecturing the little one on how it had to be very, very quiet while Doll was 'working her magic' or Prince might change his mind. Meatbun promised everything, that he'd be as quiet as a mouse and would be wishing Doll luck at her mission as quietly as he could, hoping she'd succeed. They quieted down a little bit as they approached the room Prince was in. Stopping in front of it, Doll hesitated for a second and took a deep breath, held it and gave a big sigh, trying to calm her nerves.  
>"Prince-gégé!" the little girl called out, bursting through the door with vigor. The figure in the bed flinched slightly and turned just a little bit, checking who was bothering him now. Seeing Doll, he turned back again and ignored her. Doll noticed that and pouted, crossing her arms and tapping her foot on the floor. Then she closed the door behind herself and pouted some more. There was no way she was going to give up that easily, especially not since Wolf and Yu Lian, and pretty much everyone else, had faith in her managing to cheer him up somehow. Or to at least eat something. Dashing across the room, Doll flung herself onto the bed and partly on top of Prince, feeling the bed spring beneath her and the elf grumbled. No, it actually sounded like he growled. Surprised and maybe even a little frightened, Doll backed off a bit and stared at the elf. He had never sounded so angry before, except for that one time when everybody only referred to him as Mylord and he hated that. But he had never, ever sounded angry with her before. Always he had cooed about her being so cute and pretty and her name fitting perfectly.<br>"Prince-gégé doesn't like me anymore...?" Doll couldn't help but sigh. She felt Prince squirm next to her slightly, keeping his face turned away from her.  
>"I was asleep..." he mumbled, almost whispered, and the girl's eyes grew wide.<br>Prince had said something! The first thing he had said in a long time, to anyone. Meatbun, having flattened itself on Doll's head when she had begun to run, almost felt like bouncing up and down and cheering, happy to hear its parent's voice again. And Doll was filled with new energy. If she could manage to get Prince to talk in under a minute, getting him to eat was child's play! Wondering how to do that, she thought that getting him to talk more should definitely help in getting him to open up a bit more, make him realize that he must be feeling hungry.  
>"Sorry. Was Prince-gégé dreaming something nice?" the necromancer asked, letting her voice swing with happy and curious notes. Despite that, the elf didn't seem to want to answer and Doll felt her energy fading already, then noticed his eyes flickering towards her for a second and then losing themselves on the wall again.<br>"Mh..." he admitted, remembering the details of his dream. "I... want to go back..."  
>The girl was surprised at those words.<br>Longing after sleep and nice dreams was normal, but wanting to return to a dream and sleeping a lot to remain there was never any good. She had been told that dreams, while nice, were nothing but illusions that enveloped the dreamer in a cocoon made of silk before crushing their hope by having them wake up at the nicest moments. And it wasn't good to sleep too much, either... Doll frantically tried to keep Prince from falling asleep again, at least to make him stop sounding so... she couldn't quite find the word she was looking for. Putting a hand on the elf's shoulder to keep his attention on her, she gave it a slight jiggle.  
>"You know, a full stomach helps! Doll always falls asleep much faster when she had a nice supper first." she said, laughing a little nervously.<br>Prince breathed loudly out of his nose, making a sound somewhere between a snort and a sigh. He knew why she was here. The others thought that there was no way he could resist food if they sent the adorable and angelic Doll to him, smiling and giggling and generally bursting with a good mood. But this time it wasn't working. He didn't want to eat - even his stomach had stopped grumbling at him regarding its emptiness. Besides, it had been almost two hours since today's tray had been brought in, so all the dishes had to be stonecold by now. Not a very appetizing thought, actually. But Doll interrupted his train of thoughts, flopping herself over his side, like she was a cat getting longer. She mumbled a bit and kept mentioning food and sleep. It was obvious she wasn't thinking of giving up easily.  
>"You're not gonna let me sleep till I do, right?" Prince finally muttered and turned over a bit, sitting up. "Fine..."<br>Doll almost jumped off the bed, giddy about her success and grabbed the table the tray was on, pulling the entire thing right next to the bed and taking the covers off. Whoever made the food knew that Prince was most likely not going to eat it in time while it was still warm, so the dishes were all the kind that were served cold - a salad in one bowl, something that looked like a mixture of gazpacho and borscht in another and a plate with a piece of cake on it. The girl sat down on the bed again, watching Prince like she was going to supervise and make sure he wasn't just going to pretend to eat.  
>Sitting up properly and looking at the food, it somehow made Prince feel a bit neausious. He wasn't really looking forward to eating, but he knew that he had pretty much committed himself to it now. Sighing slightly, he picked at the salad a few times, spearing some corn or finely diced cherry tomatoes with the fork... whoever had prepared the food made sure to make it easy to swallow. Somehow, that sort of gentle kindness was very touching. Doll watched Prince, happy that he was finally eating something.<br>"Mmh, I want some, too!" she cheered suddenly, getting a sudden craving for food as well. Cheering slightly, she dutifully ate the bite of cake Prince fed her and tasted the sweet sugar melting on her tongue. Meatbun, having been good and quiet until then, bounced on Doll's head to get some attention.  
>"Mommy, me too!" the pet said and got the next bite of cake fed.<br>For about ten minutes it went on, the majority of bites being fed to Doll and Meatbun. Prince wasn't complaining or saying anything, only feeding them and a ghost of a smile hovered on his lips during the whole charade. Finally, when most of the food was gone, the elf lay back down on his back and sighed heavily. Even if he had eaten only a little, he already felt stuffed and his head was spinning and throbbing. All he wanted to do was sleep, even more so than he had wanted to before. But Doll and Meatbun were still there, watching him.  
>"I ate... can I sleep now?" he asked, putting his arm across his eyes and blocking all the light out.<br>The girl studied him for a bit, frowned and thought about it for a while. He hadn't eaten a lot, but some and that was better than nothing, right? It was definitely an improvement. Doll crossed her arms and wondered if she should stay here, to see if she could persuade Prince to more... but she decided against it. The elf looked very tired and exhausted, and watching a sleeping person wasn't a very exciting thing to do. And she wanted to report to the others about her success.  
>"Yes!" she said and got off the bed, heading towards the door. "Prince-gégé, you did good. Keep it up, okay?"<br>And she left, closing the door behind herself, taking Meatbun with her again. Not that Prince minded. He sighed again and tried to relax, ignoring the thoughts his head was buzzing with, the smell of food in the air distracting him. Pulling the blanket up to his chin, the elf turned to his side and hid his face in the pillow, hoping that the darkness would make him return to one of those wonderful dreams again just that much faster.

* * *

><p>"He's <em>still<em> in there?" Lolidragon asked and pointed at the door leading to the hallway that contained Prince's current habitat. Wu Qing nodded, as did the rest of the people in the room, and the thief gave a huge sigh and flopped her arms over the edge of her chair.  
>Several days had passed since Doll's little mission had succeeded, but the majority of the problem hadn't changed. Granted, Prince now regularly ate the meals brought into his room - not much, but some of it. At least he wasn't starving himself anymore. But he hadn't left the room or the bed at all, nor talked to anybody who came into his room except for a few grunting noises that had replaced the words Yes, No and Go Away... when he wasn't pretending to be asleep or really was when they entered.<br>"It's been... almost two weeks?" the thief muttered.  
>"About." Wu Qing guessed. "But he is dealing with something big... it's understandable that he doesn't want to be sociable for a while."<br>Everybody was quiet again and stared at the ceiling, floor or looking for comfort in another person. Finally, though, Lolidragon clenched her hands into fists.  
>"This... has gone on too long." she said in a dangerous tone and almost jumped out of her chair and began to storm across the room, banging the door open and walking down the hallway. Surprised, shocked and slightly worried about what she'll do, the others quickly got up and began to follow her, but remained a good distance down the hall as she approached Prince's door. When she got there, she banged her fist once against the solid form.<br>"Hey, Prince!" she yelled and was quiet for a few seconds, trying to hear the elf reacting in some way. Getting none, she growled slightly and took a step away from the door. "Cut it out, already!" Lolidragon snapped and gave the door a hard kick. The door burst open and creaked loudly on its hinges before smacking against the wall and she stormed inside, glaring at the figure in the bed. Despite his back being turned on her, it was obvious that he wasn't asleep or faking it. There was no way he could've not heard her, after all, but he remained resolutely in that position.  
>"You're sad and depressed and lonely, we get it!" Lolidragon yelled, her voice carrying out into the hallway, but she didn't care how many heard her now as long as she got to vent her anger at Prince now. "But you're acting like nobody except you is hurt. We are, too, okay!? And I've had it with you shutting yourself away - so get up and get out of here! Now!"<br>And with a last huff, she turned and was about to leave the room, when a snippet of something reached her ears. Stopping in her tracks, the thief looked over her shoulder and saw the elf's back still turned towards her. But then he turned slightly, his eyes looking over his own shoulder and at her.  
>"As gentle as a wire scrub, typicial Loli..." Prince mumbled in a slightly louder voice and sounded slightly amused as he said it. And with Lolidragon staring, he slowly turned onto his back and sat up, rubbing his hand along his arm in a nervous habit. "Guess I should get up..."<br>Lolidragon kept staring, the others had dared to approach the room and were all leaning in and peeking, just as surprised that this approach finally worked. The thief finally bit her lip and rushed towards Prince, flinging her arms around him. The rest of the OddSquad quickly joined, all exclaiming and crying in relief that Prince had finally awoken from his stupor.

* * *

><p>"Are you really sure about this, Prince?" Yu Lian asked just an hour later with the low buzz of the many people close by sounding in the background. The elf nodded slightly. Being outside after so long felt weird, somehow much cooler than before, and a little too bright, although clouds were hanging low in the sky. "And you really don't want to change?"<br>"Mh..." Prince said with a slight shake of his head. He hadn't changed out of the clothes he had been lying in all the time, his hair was a mess of bedhead and his eyes didn't seem to open all the way, like the lids were a little too heavy to lift.  
>"Pretty weird to ask for this right away." Lolidragon admitted and scratched the back of her head. "You know what you're going to say to them?"<br>"Mh." Prince nodded again. "_Ai no Uta_."  
>The two women stared for a few seconds at the elf, then at each other before paying attention to him again.<br>"But... that song wasn't... I mean, it's not done." Yu Lian said.  
>"It's okay. The first part is done, as is the melody." the elf admitted. "And for the rest... guess I'll just wing it."<br>They shook their heads at him and shrugged their shoulders, knowing that it was pointless to say anything anymore. He wouldn't listen and he was walking up the few steps to the stage that had been built up in a hurry. The people of Infinite City instantly fell silent as their Lord was visible and stared slightly. Despite his clothes absolutely wrinkled from being slept in for a while and lack of any make up, Prince was still a wonderful sight to look at.  
>"Thank you for arriving so fast." Prince began when he lifted the mic to his lips and scanned the audience with his eyes. "Especially since this was decided on only an hour ago... Um, well, as you know, the last few weeks have been a hard time on us. And on you, I'm sure. It's been... heh, almost a month?"<br>Prince looked at Wicked and Fairsky who had joined him on the stage and gave a weak grin, like it wasn't all that important. But they knew that he had spent all his time thinking about it. Clearing his throat, the elf shuffled his feet slightly.  
>"Anyway, it's been... hard. And, well, Loli really let me have it today, so..." Prince stopped and took a slightly shakey breath. "I just... wanted to share my feelings with everyone..." He coughed again in an embarrassed fashion, then saw Wicked and Fairsky nodding slightly, beginning to play the melody of the song he wanted to sing. Closing his eyes for a second, Prince recalled the lyrics that had already been written.<p>

_The gentle wind always blows on the road  
>I want to meet you, it's okay to want that<br>There are small heart beats and our feelings will overlap..._

Prince's voice broke and faltered into nothingness suddenly. His eyes were burning furiously, the little energy Lolidragon's outburst at given him seemed to disappear and all he wanted to do was go back into his room and be alone, but he couldn't do that. Not now. However small the part of him that loved to entertain his audience was right now, he couldn't break the song off suddenly. It was okay. He heard the music going on, it was no problem. He knew the verse he missed was ending and he could just start up at the next.  
>No such luck. Even when Prince took a deep breath, the second he lifted the microphone to his lips again and wanted to continue, his voice refused to work. He felt helpless. Hearing the melody, it just flooded his mind with memories of hours spent in his room, working on the melody and writing up all kinds of lyrics together. Running his hand slightly over his eyes, Prince bit his lip and tried to hold back the tears.<br>The noise of the crowd began to lift, starting with a few girls calling out to the elf and then spreading to everyone, their voices melting into a large wave. They were calling the elf's name, mingled with encouragements and cheering for him. Prince lifted his head and stared, thoughroughly touched by their worry about him. Tightening his grip on the mic, he tried again.

_The Song Of Love, can you hear it?  
>It's just a small love<br>For it to smile, it seems to be drawn closer  
>By your tender sound<br>Time is flowing, Dreams are flowing  
>They change into various shapes<br>Being right here with you, I'm fine with just that_

Again Prince halted. This... was as far as the lyrics had been written. Completely unfinished, the song. But he couldn't just let the music go on without some way to convey his feelings. He felt that if he didn't, he might be buried under the weight of them... so he decided to just sing what came to mind.

_I noticed your voice calling out to me  
>And I reach my hand out to the things I've lost<em>

_So why does this mark the end of time?  
>But I'll still draw the sky of tomorrow<br>And follow its path_

_The Song Of Love, can you hear it?  
>It's about a small love<br>Winking one by one  
>To your beloved sound<br>During that time, on that day, with the stars  
>My tears were flowing<br>Being right here with you, I'm fine with just that_

He knew it. He could feel it, taste it. Prince knew that he was crying. The streaks on his face were cool in the fresh air, but kept getting hot again as new tears fell. His voice broke a few times, but he didn't care. Perhaps he was imagining it, but the elf thought that he heard some in the audience sniffling or sobbing quietly.

_Time is a distant wish  
>I'm probably trying to grasp unreasonably<br>While working with my hands  
>Just like that, it's disappearing<br>And from something big  
>I noticed a small love<em>

_Someday during a time when the flowers are blooming  
>Before too long, a big love is here<br>Like singing, Like playing  
>The two of us are wrapped together<em>

_The Song Of Love, can you hear it?  
>It's about a small love<br>Still smiling, it seems we're brought closer  
>By your tender sound<br>Times flow, Dreams flow  
>They change into various shapes<br>Being right here with you, I'm fine with just that  
>Laughing while being by your side, I'm fine with just this<em>

As the last of the notes were played, the audience became louder as they clapped like mad and cheered like they didn't want to stop. Feeling exhausted, his face wet with tears and sweat, Prince hoped he had managed to tell them how he felt about losing his lover... turning slightly, the elf looked at his companions on the stage and the ones standing backstage, all having the same expression on their faces. Lolidragon had hidden her face in her hands, Doll succumbed to her grief that showed itself as tears that streamed down her face like waterfalls and was rivaling Meatbun crying. Yu Lian and Wolf were holding onto each other as if they were falling, but everybody had a small hint of relief on their faces as well. Like Prince's singing had taken a large part of the sorrow weighing them down off their shoulders and even showed the audience how they felt about losing Gui. Prince sighed heavily and finally managed to smile for the first time in a while.

* * *

><p>The lost chapter is no longer lost! Why is this one so depressing? Right, late at night. Sad love songs... my first problem with this chapter was which song to choose. I finally settled on Fukui Mai's Ai no Uta. And oh no, how dare I kill off Gui? By the way, was that part a surprise? I didn't want it to be too obvious from the very beginning...<br>A quick update. My surgery's been done, it's been pretty much three weeks since and I'm home, relatively painfree. And if I could chew properly, I'd be golden. I have also gotten a new computer and I'm currently trying to get used to Windows 7. You know, some of the changes for Windows 7 are really stupid and useless.


	17. 1st Theory

Last chapter seemed to shock some people. Good!  
>And of course Gui will appear in coming chapters. None of the chapters are directly linked unless the title, my commentary or the story itself openly state it to be so.<p>

Now, for this chapter...  
>Well, this is one of my theories that formed in my head while reading Half Prince. And I'd better get them out, because PR's translation of the novel is very close to the end and... well, let's just say that my lazyness of writing my theory chapters ages ago (or genius, considering the other chapter ideas I gave you instead) has caused them to reveal something that <strong>I<strong> figured out a _loooong_ time ago. Except I haven't written it in chapter form yet.

**1st Theory  
><strong>

_All characters belong to Yu Wo, CatMuto does not own 1/2 Prince_

* * *

><p>Finally, he was here. Here, at the place he wanted to be. Facing the one he had been aiming for.<br>The Dictator of Life. The last hurdle to overcome and then it would be over.  
>The hand holding the sword hilt shook slightly and he tightened his grip, took a deep breath and tried to calm down. It didn't work. The view of the long staircase in front of him only made it worse. All that was separating him from the Dictator was this last staircase in the narrow tower it was in. The dark stone walls and the purple carpet on the stairs only served to make him feel more trapped and helpless. Just like the first time around.<br>The warrior had been here only once before, with his friends. Back then, he had stood at the exact same spot he was in now, but he had felt much calmer. Because they were there with him. Fight after fight, they had pushed forwards to reach the Dictator of Life and had finally managed it, facing him. And he had greeted them kindly, congratulating them on making it this far... but now he had to face him alone.  
>One by one, his friends had been killed off. And they all said he should carry on, to keep trying. And he had, made it this far again, but by sacrificing his friends. By creating a bridge of corpses to walk on, just so he could reach the Dictator of Life once again.<br>Shaking his head, the elven warrior tried to suppress such thoughts and straightened up. Slowly, he forced his left foot to move forwards and step onto the staircase, to make his body move, hoping that the movement would make him feel more ready than he actually was. His footsteps made no sound on the carpet as he continuously ascended the stairs that formed a spiral. For a second, the warrior stopped and turned his head to look out the small oval shape of a window cut out of the stone. The dark mist surrounding the castle was below the window, making him realize how high he was right now. And, looking back, he saw nothing. Just pure black. With every step he took, a black barrier had followed him, cutting off any way back. Whoever came here had made their choice and there was no turning back anymore. Turning around again, he started to run up the stairs, ignorant that any haste could very well be his downfall. Just like hesitation was no longer an option, either. This was it.  
>And then the warrior stopped.<br>Just two steps away from him was it. The last door. The door that opened to the chamber where the Dictator of Life was. For an important place, the door was horribly simple, with slight rust surrounding the hinges and the wood looking cracked. But he knew he had heard something, his long ears were twitching slightly. He had heard the Dictator. Just beyond the door, the Dictator had made the tiniest of movements and the warrior had heard it. Whatever the Dictator had done, it had caused a tiny clinging sound. Perhaps the Dictator had heard _him_ approach? Gripping his sword once again, the elf pushed the door open with more force than necessary and took two steps into the room, looking braver than he felt.  
>The room was unremarkable, nothing more than a round room that was smaller than expected. The carpet leading from the staircase to a small raised platform changed easily from the purple to an almost black color with a thin gold border around it. The warrior ignored the door slamming shut behind him, his eyes fixated on what was in front of him.<br>A huge, long satin curtain in a deep red color was loosely tied back and set what was behind it in shadows. But with the little light that went into the room, the silhouette of a throne-like chair was visible and sitting in it was he. The Dictator of Life. Very little of his upper body was seen, only a sliver of the silhouette of his hair and arm was noticeable... the clinging sound the elf had heard earlier had come from the thin glass plate that hung from a long earring. The Dictator was sitting with one ankle propped on his other leg, the dark armor he was wearing blending perfectly into the shadow. The earring chimed again as the Dictator apparently moved his head.  
>"Welcome back." he said, his voice calm and deep, sounding pleasant and polite, like he was talking to a long-time friend. "I've been waiting for you."<br>"...Gh!" the elf twitched slightly, feeling dumbfounded. His speech had changed! It was completely different from what he had said the last time he had entered... He had no explanation for it, which only irritated him that much more.  
>"You've chosen to stand above your friends' deaths and continue on. Very admirable-"<br>"Stop!" the elf hissed and unsheathed his sword, pointing it straight in front of him, towards the Dictator. "I'm here to stop you!" The two stared at each other for a while and then the Dictator smirked slightly, almost beginning to chuckle.  
>"Very well, since you are already prepared." he said and swung his leg down, getting up in fluid motions, his bloodred cape dragging slightly behind him. "I hope you can cause me some enjoyment."<p>

* * *

><p>"Gha!" The warrior smacked against the wall and spit out blood, his body already dealing with other pains he had sustained by that point. But with no time to rest, he quickly threw himself onto the ground and rolled aside, dodging the three large fireballs that had been sent at him. Jumping back up, he dashed towards the Dictator and swung his sword. The Dictator flapped his cape away and easily parried the weapon with his own sword. With their swords interlocked, both tried to win the upperhand and strained their arms to move.<br>The Dictator was a horrifying enemy! He was capable of casting the highest level of spells with barely any casting time, his speed was incredibly fast and he could dodge any attack. But the worst was his ability to switch from magical to physical fight with not even a warning. Landing even a single hit on him was difficult.  
>The Dictator quickly swung his sword upwards and the warrior got knocked back, his wrist protesting painfully and just barely managing to keep a grip on his sword. Panting heavily, the warrior glared at his opponent, who seemed to not move at all. He seemed perfectly content with merely smirking at him now, making his sword disappear into thin air. The elf knew what it meant. He was switching back to mainly using magic, but wether it would be a high leveled spell or a few little annoyances, it didn't matter. He had to be ready to dodge at any moment. But he couldn't just dodge the entire time! That wouldn't get him anywhere near to defeating him. But with the Dictator changing his strategy all the time, it was almost impossible to predict what was coming, unless he continued to choose to mock his opponent before attacking again.<br>Although the chance was slim, the warrior had an idea... it would be incredibly dangerous, but if he managed to pull it off, he might finally win this fight. With the Dictator still standing there, smiling almost pleasantly, the elf pointed his sword straight towards him again and gave his wrist a little flick. Provoking him to finally attack him.  
>With an almost amused head jerk, the Dictator's cape fell over his right shoulder again and with barely a mutter, three fireballs flew towards the warrior again. The elf jumped aside and saw another small volley of fireballs on their way, so he ran counter-clockwise along the walls of the room, dodging fireball after fireball. And then he was almost at his original point again... now!<br>"Taaah!" the elven warrior rushed forwards, gripping the hilt of his sword with both hands and thrust it forwards. The Dictator's eyes widened and an insane grin spread on his face for a split second before the weapon impaled him right in the lower chest.  
>For a few seconds, although it felt like forever to them, the two just stood there as the last fragments of their fight around them slowly faded and then the Dictator's knees buckled and he knelt on the floor, pulling the warrior slightly down with him.<br>"W... why didn't you dodge it...?" the warrior asked horrified. He knew that the Dictator could've easily moved and his attack would've missed him, leaving him completely exposed to get killed. The Dictator held onto the warrior's shoulder with one hand, the other clawing into his chest. He was shaking, panting and coughing from the wound, his blood staining the warrior's hands. And he slowly lifted his head to look at his oppent. And for the first time, he fully saw the Dictator's face. The silver hair hung loosely around his face, supporting the treacherous and well-known tiara. And even with the right side of his face adorned with that black diamond pattern, the features and the bloodred eyes were too familiar.  
>"You...?!" the elf gasped. It couldn't be... but it really was. The legendary Blood Elf, the one about whom countless stories and myths had been told for years and years. For all he was known for, the Blood Elf had suddenly disappeared and nobody knew what had happened to him. As many stories there had been about him, the same amount of rumors had been cooked up since his disappearance... and all along, he had been here? Still shocked, the elf stared as the once famous Blood Elf lifted a shakey arm and put it around the back of his neck, pulling him down slightly. A steady trickle of blood was flowing from his lips and tears were forming in the corner of his eyes as he lifted his head slighly to talk into his ear.<br>"Welcome... to hell..." he whispered.  
>The warrior stared and had no idea what he meant, but couldn't do anything anymore as his fallen opponent disappeared with a smile into petals that looked as fragile as snowflakes.<p>

* * *

><p>Talking animatedly, the guys were sitting on the couch or the floor, laughing now and then. They couldn't remember who had suggested today's get-together, but it was a good idea, giving them a chance to take their mind off of things. Just as one of them was starting to tell them about a moment that they all remembered well, the phone on the table in front of them rang. Stopping, they all stared at it for a second and the brunette sitting on the floor waved his hand.<br>"Ignore it."  
>"The number..." the darkhaired man said and they all looked at the display again. Getting nudged by his blonde friend, the brunette leaned forward and took the call.<br>"It's Feng." he said and listened to the other side's voice for a few seconds. Then he sat up with a start, almost standing straight up and knocking over some bottles.  
>"She woke up...?!"<p>

* * *

><p>Urgh, the last paragraph isn't really my favorite...<br>If I were any good at drawing fight scenes, I'd draw this entire chapter and the last paragraph would be rewritten in a way that it is nothing more than a single page. But I can't draw fightscenes...  
>Well, this is one of my theories that formed while reading Half Prince - Prince kills the Dictator of Life and becomes the new Dictator himself. However, I've kept throwing the theory away now and again. With later chapters, you'll see my other theories I came up with.<br>If you do know how Half Prince ends or know the spoilers, **do not tell them to me**! For once, I want to be surprised by something again. I've been able to predict things in way too many things I've read and it gets really frustrating. Actually, one of the few manga I read that didn't turn out the way I suspected was Video Girl Ai. Majority of Masakazu Katsura is that way.


	18. Universal Symbol

Now that I think about it, I don't all that many theories...  
>Well, actually, I do. But not ones that I can expand on to turn them into well-lengthed chapters.<br>One of my theories was actually already published - Chapter 10, how Lan meets everyone.  
>That was, I believe, one of my first theories. Um, I might create a theory chapter that combines Theory Ideas, simply because the theoryscenes I had in my head for it were so short to begin with.

**Universal Symbol**

'An unbelieveable thing has happened!  
>Well, it must've happened, considering the evidence...'<p>

_All characters belong to Yu Wo, CatMuto does not own 1/2 Prince_

* * *

><p>"Are you serious?"<br>"Of course! I totally saw it with my own eyes!"  
>"No way...!"<br>Infinite City was antsier than an ant hill, buzzing with hundreds of conversations going on between players, the topic being the same in every single one of them. And the steps of players were increasing, meeting with one group and talking about the topic, then heading to the next ones to repeat the process. And every single one of the groups contained at least one high voice wailing in disbelief. Sometimes followed by a fainting spell.  
>It was all still just a rumor.<br>But as it was typical with rumors, what started out small turned huge in minutes. Despite the many, many people who claimed vehemently that they had seen proof and were telling nothing but the truth, it had only been a few people who had seen said proof. The rest simply forced themselves to believe that they had actually seen something.  
>The people who had actually seen it were a few members of the OddSquad and some lucky-unlucky, it was your guess, players who had been in the palace at that time. And the OddSquad members had merely looked surprised, then shrugged their shoulders. And spared no thought to the other members or friends of theirs who might see this and not be prepared for it.<br>And one of them was Gui.  
>The bard was logging on late that day because his work had piled up and kept him at school for longer than it should have, and being somewhat of a perfectionist, he couldn't allow himself to go home before everything was done. Infinite City seemed normal and just like all the others times as he walked through it, although he did notice he was getting more glares than he usually got. Gui wasn't too concerned about it. He had loving fans, he had hating fans, even fans who were torn between liking him and hating him for liking Prince. But this time it was a little strange because, sometimes when a girl glared at him, one of her companions nudged her side and muttered something while shaking their head and the girl seemed to calm down immediately.<br>But thinking nothing more of it, he headed to the palace.  
>With the estimates on restorating the city walls, crumbling in places from battles, done, the bard wanted to get the figures into the books and hopefully started immediately, if Yu Lian permitted it. As he approached the meeting hall, it was very quiet. The room was probably empty, although he had no idea where everyone might've gone to if the restoration of the city walls was so important. Thinking he could worry about that if it came to it, Gui simply entered the room.<br>The usual big table was covered with papers as it usually was, but the room wasn't empty. Prince was the only person in the room, sitting at the head of the table and scanning a paper with his eyes. Gui was impressed, after getting over his initial happy daze that appeared whenever he saw Prince, thinking that the elf was likely looking at other figures in the city books. However, it became apparent that that wasn't the case a few seconds later when, having heard the door opening, Prince looked up.  
>"Hey, Gui, good you're here." he said and smiled, lifting a hand in greeting. And at that moment, something caught the light for a tiny second, but it was gone so fast, the bard wasn't even sure it had been anything. Approaching the elf, Gui put his papers with the restoration figures onto the table and then saw Prince beckoning him closer.<br>"I have a question, actually." the elf admitted. "In class today, you were talking about this, I think..."  
>Gui stood behind Prince and looked over his shoulder at the paper he was reading. The paper, it now became obvious, was not one that had anything to do with Inifinite City. It was notes that Prince must've written about today's lesson. It was a mess with a few lines, some crossed out or pointing towards others, trying to make some sense out of them. But Gui stopped listening when he saw something when Prince moved his left hand to point at something on the paper. It had caught the light again and now he saw that it hadn't been nothing. Right there, on Prince's left hand. On his <em>left hand's ringfinger<em>.  
>A ring!<br>Gui felt his jaw drop so fast it felt like it hit the floor.  
>The ring itself was actually nothing special. Just a simple goldband with a light stone imbedded on it. The blood was rushing through his body so hard and fast, it seemed to make Gui deaf because he didn't hear a word Prince said until the elf finally cocked his head to the side and snapped his fingers once. The bard instantly started.<br>"Ah, yes, class! You, uh, had a question, right." Gui stuttered and stumbled over simple words. "I'll explain in a bit. Hang on, I just have to, um, go... find someone..." And straightened, heading towards the door he had just come through and looked like, whoever it was that he was going to go find, he was going to murder that person. Only dimly did Gui register in the back of his mind that Prince called after him that he'd be waiting in the western-most room.  
>It didn't take Gui very long to find Wicked.<br>The swordsman was in the kitchen, helping Lolidragon carry some stuff into it. The large wooden table in the middle of the stonefloor was almost groaning under the weight of food loaded on top of it, although most of it was going to be put away soon enough. When Gui entered the kitchen and saw Wicked, he made a beeline for him and suddenly grabbed the dark elf's collar and spun him around, their faces almost touching, and glared at him.  
>"You certainly think you pulled one over me, huh?" he spat at him. There was a short moment of surprise in Wicked's face, but then it quickly changed to a typical glare and his green eyes narrowed as they stared at the bard.<br>"What the hell are you talking about?"  
>"The ring, you idiot! The ring!" Gui felt himself just getting angrier at the way Wicked seemed to be playing dumb. Both weren't aware that Lolidragon quickly left the room, a grin tugging at her lips. The two of them always going at each other, it was such a normal occurence, it wasn't even fun to watch anymore. The swordsman slapped the other guy's hand and fixed his collar.<br>"What ring?" Wicked asked, but only earned a growl from Gui. The bard grabbed Wicked's arm and began to almost drag him out of the kitchen and onwards, down almost three corridors until he stopped in front of a door and then motioned for him to be quiet. Gui slowly and carefully opened the door a little bit and then pointed at the gap so Wicked would peek.  
>Feeling foolish in doing so, Wicked threw a peek into the room. It was the western-most room where Prince had gone into to wait for Gui. From what he could see through the gap, Prince was sitting on a sofa full of red cushions and studying the paper again. Once, the elf lifted his hand to his mouth and yawned. The swordsman shook his head slightly and straightened.<br>"Did you see it?"  
>"Hm." was all Wicked said. Truth be told, he hadn't really seen all too much. He thought he had seen something on Prince's hand, but since Prince's right side was facing the door, it was hard to tell. But if Gui was really freaking out this much about something so small, it must be there, he supposed. "And you think that ring is from me?"<br>"Whom else?" Gui retorted and, to his idignation, saw that Wicked sneered.  
>"You know perfectly well that same sex marriage aren't possible in Second Life." Wicked answered and saw Gui's expression change from surprise to shock and finally relief. The bard sighed deeply and shook his head. In his initial anger he had completely forgotten about that fact. Now that he thought about it, perhaps some of the girls had, too, given the reaction of some of them when he passed them earlier. While the news that Wicked had not somehow beaten Gui to marrying Prince, it only got him back to square one and the question remained.<br>What was the deal with the ring?

* * *

><p>Any attempt on finding out anything more about the ring's origins was futile. Nobody seemed to know, although tons of people seemed to care. Doll wasn't online yet and Wolf and Yu Lian were no help, either. When the subject of the ring on Prince's finger was brought up, it turned out that those two already knew and actually didn't worry.<br>"If Prince has found someone special, let him." Wolf had said with a shrug.  
>"Be happy for him." Yu Lian had agreed with her husband. Both taking the mature route and not getting too flustered over this was all nice and well, but with the famous Love Triangle that had been going on, neither Gui or Wicked could rest. Not when it seemed that somebody had randomly swooped in and put a literal seal onto the entire thing.<br>"You know, maybe somebody has." Lolidragon said innocently when Gui and Wicked had found her a bit later. "It could be that Prince got sick and tired of both of you always nagging at each other and looked elsewhere. Or maybe some fangirl made him an offer he simply couldn't refuse. It could be all sorts of things."  
>Whether they would've continued to look or given up was hard to tell, because Gui finally remembered that Prince was waiting for him to explain something and so the bard rushed to the room where Prince was still waiting. Entering the room, Gui saw that Prince looked a bit peeved. Clearly, he had gotten impatient with his waiting time.<br>The room was mostly decorated like a living room, with several sofas or armchairs standing around, coffee tables and similar. Overall, it had a comfortable atmosphere to it, even if the view out of the windows was nothing more than the city wall. Gui sat down next to Prince on the red couch and hastily apologized for the wait.  
>"It's about the psychological aspect in the ancient literature you showed in class..." Prince began.<br>_Bing! BingBing! BiBiBiBing! BingBingBingBing! Bing! BiBiBiBiBiBiBing! Bing! Bing!Bing!Bing!Bing! Bing!  
><em>Gui started slightly at the sudden flood of incoming PMs he was receiving. The alert he was getting was almost turning into a constant string of noise. Taking a quick look at the senders, none of them really rang a bell, but opening a few all had the same idea of a message. Although they were in varying degrees of politeness. But in general, it said: _Find out about the ring!_  
>Clearly, fangirls somehow seemed to know that Gui and Prince were alone at that moment and, having come to the conclusion that Gui was not the ring-giver due to same sex marriages being impossible to do in the game, wanted him to use that opportunity to ask Prince point-blank where the ring came from and who had given it to him. And, above all, what it meant. Turning his head towards the door slightly, the bard felt himself grow pale when he saw that it was open just a tiny little bit and dozens of pairs of eyes were peeking through the gap, all with the same insane glint in them. Fangirls had made use of the fact that Prince was currently in one of the rooms on the ground floor, which the public was allowed to enter, and were going to eavesdrop like crazy to find out anything. But still using Gui to get to their goal.<br>Definitely feeling more uncomfortable now, what with having somewhat of an audience behind the door, Gui wondered if he really could ask Prince about the ring. Point-blank and bluntly or maybe try to weave around the topic, start up with something related to it and then slowly approach it? Nevermind what the right way to formulate the question was, what was more worrying was the answer! What if Gui didn't like it? It could very well be that Prince had found someone. He was already so handsome and even beyond the measure of beautiful that people were falling in love with him the second they saw him. Although he knew Lolidragon was only kidding when she had mentioned it and Gui knew that Prince wasn't one to submit so easily, a tiny part of his brain was wondering if a fangirl had somehow managed to get the elf to marry her. He had always told himself that, if Prince chose Wicked over himself, he'd be heartbroken alright, but he'd accept Prince's decision. But the thought of somebody entirely different just snatching Prince away from him was worse than a punch in the stomach.  
>Needless to say, Gui wasn't listening to any questions Prince was asking him during his thought-a-thon.<br>The elf studied the bard impatiently.  
>"Blablablabla, and that's why a pink rabbit rampaged through my room and ate my homework." he said and saw Gui nod a few times, muttering how understandable that was and not to worry about that anymore. Several of the fangirls outside of the room were holding their hands over their mouths to stifle their giggles. Sighing, Prince got up from the couch and stretched. When he relaxed again, he took a step so he was standing in front of Gui and leaned forward, plucking the paper from his fingers and putting it on the nearby coffee table. The bard didn't react, still too deeply lost in his worried thoughts and remained immobile, with his hands slightly raised like he was still holding something. Prince leaned a hand on the couch back next to Gui's head and put one leg next to Gui's, almost sitting on his lap and finally put his arms around the bard's neck.<br>"You're worrying me, Gui. What is it?" Prince asked with a husky voice. "Hm?"  
>Gui stirred suddenly and realized what the elf was doing. His face instantly exploded into a deep crimson color and his heart beat so fast it felt like it was trying to jump out of his chest, especially when Prince leaned in closer and only a few inches were separating their faces from each other. Absolutely rigid, Gui noticed that his hands were at about the height of Prince's torso and didn't dare to move, even his fingers were bending away from him, like he was afraid to touch him.<br>And then Prince laughed and ruffled Gui's hair slightly.  
>"Haha, you're so easy to tease!" he grinned and was off of him the next second, just as a collective wail came from the door and it burst open, letting in a huge wave of fangirls, all tumbled or stacked on top of each other, staring at the two men with the same horrified expression on their faces. Slowly, the realization that they had been found out sunk in, and their faces began to redden. The room would've been absolutely silent, had it not been for Prince, practically bending over with laughter. It was evident that it was fun for him to tease Gui, but that shocking the fangirls was even more fun for him.<p>

* * *

><p>Gui paced up and down the small landing at the top of the stairs that led to Prince's room.<br>The mystery of the ring still hadn't been solved. And nothing new was known, although some people had expected something to be let slip by now. Even if it was a fangirl that had managed to get Prince, they'd have such trouble to hide that fact, simply because they _wanted_ to brag that they had done it. Although perhaps fear of the other fans' retribution kept them quiet.  
>But whatever it was, it was really bugging Gui now.<br>He couldn't concentrate anymore because his thoughts had the image of that damn ring burned into his mind, always there and always taunting him. He couldn't wait anymore. He had to know. Whatever the answer might be. But just rushing in and basically demanding an answer was not just impolite but also kind of creepy. Stopping in his tracks, Gui took a deep breath and held it for a few seconds. He had to calm down. And then he would go and simply ask, like it was no big deal.  
>Prince opened the door suddenly and the bard almost jumped a foot in the air at the sudden sound.<br>"What do you want?" the elf asked, looking a bit displeased.  
>"How did you know it was I?"<br>"Your steps. Also, you were muttering pretty loudly." Prince answered and went further into the room, leaving the door open. Taking that as an invitation, Gui followed and closed the door behind himself. Walking underneath the archway that served as a divider between entrance area and bedroom/living area, the bard felt nervous again.  
>"So, you here to tell me why you're acting weird?" Prince wondered, turning towards Gui again and crossed his arms. Somehow, whether it was on purpose or by accident, or maybe he was focusing on it too much, the ring always seemed to be in the bard's line of view whenever Prince moved. Taking another deep breath first, Gui answered.<br>"I suppose. By the way," he said, like he was just noticing it. "the ring. What's with it?"  
>"The ring?" Prince asked back and lifted his hand, the ring mocking Gui again. "Pretty neat, right?"<br>"N-neat...?"  
>"Yup." the elf grinned. "Only 28 more days and I'm done."<br>"Tw... what?" Gui asked, completely thrown off course by the weird response of the elf.  
>"It's one of those Cursed Equipment pieces." Prince explained. "If I wear it for 30 days without taking it off once, the curse breaks and I can enjoy a huge agility bonus. Although it's kinda annoying, I can't take it of at any point, not even when I want to take a bath or just wash my hands..."<br>"So..." Gui's brain slowly began to grasp what the elf was saying. "So... it's _not_ a wedding ring?"  
>"Wedding ring!? Of course not!"<br>The obvious shock, and maybe even slight hint of disgust, in his voice showed that he honestly had no idea what the position of the ring meant to others. He probably hadn't even heard of the rumor that had turned the majority of the citizens of Infinite City upside-down. Gui sighed deeply, feeling the huge weight lift off his shoulders.  
>All the worry was for nothing, then...!<br>"Thank goodness..." he mumbled. But when he looked up, he saw Prince standing there and biting his thumbnail, his brows furrowed together in thought. The ring was noticeably visible again, but now it wasn't such a huge slap in the face for the bard anymore. Although Prince's expression worried him a bit. "Is something wrong?"  
>"Mh? Ah, thing is..." the elf admitted. "Loli is the one who actually gave me the ring, telling me about it and all. But I don't think she actually <em>meant<em> anything by it... I think." Prince laughed embarrassed and scratched the back of his neck, while Gui looked horrified and shook his head in disbelief.  
>Lolidragon had started this whole mess?<p>

* * *

><p>Up front, I didn't know on what finger the chinese wear wedding rings!<br>I looked it up and saw several opinions and what not, but I went with this one: Husband and Wife wear the rings on the ringfinger of opposite hands. And the wife wears hers on the right ringfinger, because of an old saying that the right hand is more influential and the wife being in charge of the household and all.  
>Yes, Prince is actually a woman, yadda, yadda, it's Loli.<br>Loli simply making trouble for the fun of it.  
>I have a chapter called Night Life I've been wanting to publish for a bit now, but I can't make it sound good~<p> 


	19. Fetish?

Hmmm... no idea if I should do a Christmas Chapter.  
>I don't think so. Especially since I have a list of other chapters that should've been published long ago.<p>

**Fetish?**

'Prince's request is somewhat strange...  
>Hopefully, he knows what he's doing...'<p>

_All characters belong to Yu Wo, CatMuto does not own 1/2 Prince_

* * *

><p>"You certainly have weird requests, Your Highness..." Gui said, staring at the length of black cloth he was holding in his hand. A few minutes ago, Prince had entered Gui's room and found him sitting on a long recliner, reading a book of some subject that the elf didn't know about. But somehow he feared it would crop up in Gui's literature classes soon. The book got discared as soon as Gui noticed Prince and, after some awkward moments, Prince had finally produced the cloth from behind his back and asked if Gui could use this as a blindfold for a minute. Always happy to oblige the elf, no matter how weird the situation was, the bard closed his eyes and tied the cloth behind his head, completely obscuring his vision.<br>The bard didn't move an inch anymore.  
>He remained sitting on the recliner, the book he had been reading on the table next to him, and loosely put his hands on his stomach. With his sight removed, the bard could feel his other senses hightening and becoming much more sensitive to everything. His ears felt like they were going to pop off, he was listening so intently for any movement or hint of noise. The fabric of his clothes felt smoother on his skin and the cushions he was sitting on softer. Gui was completely unaware of the fact that Prince was holding up fingers in front of his face and even pulled faces, making sure that he really couldn't see anything. Then the recliner creaked slightly and Gui felt a weight getting heavier on his legs, but he could sense Prince's presence close-by.<br>Apparently, the elf was sitting on the bard's legs.  
>"Can you really not see anything?" Prince asked, causing Gui to flinch slightly when he cupped the bard's face in his hands.<br>"Yes." Gui answered. He was wondering what the elf was doing.  
>Prince removed his hands from Gui's face and instead took the bard's hands on his, non-chalantly playing with each digit. Somehow, Gui wondered why he never realized before how beautiful Prince's hands were. The were wonderfully soft, their warmth mixing with his own and each of his fingers being long and thin, almost fragile like they were made out of glass. The elf leaned his forehead against the other's, unaware how Gui was blushing slightly at the closeness.<br>"Are you really, absolutely blind?" he asked again.  
>"Prince, I really cannot see a thing." the bard told him, almost laughing at how he continuously made sure.<br>"Hm..." Prince put Gui's hands next to him, his fingertips just barely brushing against the elf's bent knees. And then nothing happened, nothing seemed to change and Gui was starting to wonder why he still had to have the blindfold on, if Prince wasn't going to do anything. Then he felt a tug at his overcoat.  
>Confused, Gui froze slightly when he felt another tug and the knot he used to tie the coat's strings together loosening. Feeling Prince's fingertips pulling the strings apart, the bard had a strange thought rushing through his head when he heard the elf cursing under his breath, busy with pushing those decorative buttons on his vest through those tiny holes.<br>Was Prince undressing him?  
>Scolding himself for that ridiculous idea, Gui tried to get rid of that thought fast, but it was pretty difficult to do. Heat crawled up his neck and into his face, causing him to blush. Especially when he became aware at how Prince, after a moment of hesitation or maybe frustration, continued to remove the various clothing layers. It was when the elf got to the last silk layer of the robe that Gui flinched slightly and a sharp intake of breath made a hissing sound.<br>"Sorry...! Did that hurt?" Prince asked in a low half-whisper, worried that one of his nails might've scratched the other's skin.  
>"Ah, no. You just surprised me..." Gui answered in the same tone of voice. The elf had merely pulled the robe aside a bit and his finger had grazed Gui's skin that had surprised him, not quite prepared for the sudden warmth of direct contact. Trying to remain calm again, Gui felt a littly chilly as the cool air touched his bare chest. Now that all the layers of robes were opened or untied, he was sitting in the recliner with his bare chest and pretty much in display to the elf. Tugging the seam of the clothes a little tighter, Prince slowly moved his hand and pushed them over Gui's shoulder. Only on the left side and the bard suddenly realized what this whole thing was about, that his previous thoughts had been wrong. What Prince's intention actually was.<br>Prince flinched slightly at the sight, the way it was hidden so well under Gui's clothes.  
>The scar was large, covering almost his entire left pectoral, the skin completely white against the rest of his skin. Some of the branches even reached up to his shoulder. Carefully, he reached out his fingers to touch it and felt Gui's muscle contract under him. It felt smooth, like there was nothing that tainted the bard's soft skin at all, but the closer he got to the edges of the scar, the rougher it felt. Prince sighed deeply.<br>"I am so sorry..."  
>"Prince..." the bard whispered. "It's not your fault..."<p>

* * *

><p>"Morning!" Min called out to his class when he entered the room just as the last bell rang. The entire class was already assemblied and in their seats, surprised to see him coming in somewhat late. At least what counted as late for him. He gave no external sign of anything being wrong with him or bothering him, something that the class could realize that made him late. He seemed perfectly healthy, awake and not in any way injured that might have slowed down his walk. But when Min put his books and papers onto the desk, there was a few seconds of hesitation, where his head was hanging low and his eyes seemed to focus on something that wasn't there. It didn't take very long and Min straigthened up with a slight shaking of his head and began class.<br>Just that every now and then, class seemed to stop for a few moments for Min.  
>He'd stop in the middle of a sentence, whether explaining something or answering a question, his mind seemingly leaving the classroom and reappearing fast. All of the students noticed those short moments of his 'absence' and some even began to whisper amongst each other about what could be causing this.<br>It was especially weird when Min was writing something on the blackboard and, suddenly, he banged his forehead against it and his arm slacked, causing the marker in his hand to leave a long crooked line on the board. The students jumped at the sudden noise and Min quickly turned around, sporting a smudge of black ink on his forehead that was covering the red bump.  
>"It's nothing! I'm absolutely okay." he quickly said reassuringly to the class, wiped the smeared writing off the blackboard and proceeded as if nothing had happened. Yun leaned towards Lan while Jing did the same on the other side, to hear him.<br>"Professor Min is acting really strange..." he whispered. "Is he sick?"  
>"No, he wouldn't have come in." Jing said. "Lan, did something happen in-game?"<br>"No. Why do you ask?"  
>"Well, you were looking for Gui yesterday, right?" she asked. "And you found him, I assume. Did something weird happen?"<br>"No." Lan said, cocking her head to the side to think. "Nothing weird or unusual."

* * *

><p>Ah, Lan doesn't realize the sexual undertones that <strong>blindfolding<strong> has!  
>Gyahaha, seems like Gui is the type to enjoy blindfolding... or maybe that's just a fetish of my own.<br>Apologies for taking so long. I wasn't sure what to write for this chapter. And I'm not really happy with this one. Somehow, the entire thing feels weird to write - I don't know if it's because I haven't written for a while or because this one would just work out better with visuals... Hey, next chapter is the twentieth!  
>And I already know exactly what I'm writing for that one, I've been saving it for that number.<br>And as a sidenote, yes, in my head, Gui has a scar on his chest. It's from the time when Zephyr/Flowing Wind ripped his heart out. And that's the scar that is referred to here. Gui didn't get into an accident or so. It was just that.  
>Hope everybody had a nice Christmas, whether you celebrate it or not, and a nice New Year's as well.<br>Currently, I'm in the grip of my Yaoi Fangirl-ness, since my current obsession is Legend of Zelda... OmG Ghirahim~!  
>Speaking of, is it strange that I feel <strong>relieved<strong> that Prince Revolution hasn't published the last two Half Prince chapters yet?


	20. Kiss

Welcome to the 20th Chapter of this Anthology!  
>This idea was in my head for a while and also a somewhat 'mini theory' as what might happen in Half Prince. Now that PR has brought up the translation of the last two chapters, my opinion on that may be noted in the next theory chapters or by things I say in my commentary. Although if you happen to read the comments on PR, you probably know my opinion already.<br>Anyhow, this is something I had in my head for a while. I just have held off on writing it, because I wanted it to be special. And why not use it for the 20th Chapter, then?

**Kiss**

'You've read the title. It's obvious what'll happen...!  
>Oh shit, did I just break the fourth wall?'<p>

_All characters belong to Yu Wo, CatMuto does not own 1/2 Prince_

* * *

><p>Eh?<br>Lan's eyes widened slightly, feeling Zhuo's lips on her own.  
>Slowly, her brain was starting to work after a short surprised phase and she realized what was going on.<br>Zhuo was kissing her.  
>It was a very gentle touch, like he was afraid to break the fragile her. Only a few moments later, the kiss broke and Zhuo leaned back, straightening up again. There was a faint blush creeping up his face and he looked to the side, obviously embarrassed.<br>"Um..." was all he could really say. Lan blushed herself and a tiny giggle escape from her. Gripping the plastic bag in her hand again, she turned slightly and gave a slight wave to Zhuo, beginning to fumble with the keys to her house.  
>"See you." Zhuo said and gave the same kind of embarrassed and confused wave as she had, looking a little relieved to get away. He was probably going to wonder how a shopping trip had ended up that way for the next few hours. Lan was certainly going to. After entering the hallway, she closed the door behind herself and finally let out the breath she had subconsciously held.<br>Luckily, Yang wasn't at home and she wouldn't have to worry about questions, but she still hurried into her room to avoid being seen if he suddenly returned. She needed time to think, she needed time to handle this, she needed time to... to fully realize what had happened just then. Somehow Lan knew in her head that Zhuo had just kissed her, but partly... it still hadn't registered.  
>Lan flopped down onto her bed and ran her finger over her lips.<br>It had been a very gentle kiss. Lan was so used to the kisses she had experienced, mostly the one who initiated them, as Prince. It had felt completely different, like it was nothing to worry or think about. Just doing it. Those were nothing but lip contact between two people, generally with pressure on it and after a few seconds it was over.  
>But this one...<br>This one hadn't just been different, it had _felt_ different. The second his lips had touched hers, her heart had felt like it had wanted to jump out of her chest and run off somewhere. And somehow, Lan could imagine the courage it must've taken Zhuo to do it. Mostly it was something that had happened on impulse, but she knew he had meant it.  
>Grumbling, Lan stood up with sudden force and stomped around her room a few times. Her mind was beginning to go in circles, she felt like she was trapped in her own room, in her own body and couldn't get a clear thought anymore! Biting her thumbnail in frustration, she looked around to find something she could vent on - maybe throw something, anything, to make her feel better. Then her eyes fell onto the game headband and she sighed in relief. Second Life, of course! It was perfect! Rushing back to the bed, Lan already lifted the headband. She could just log on as Prince and smack a few monsters around and... she froze in her movement. Somehow, her mind was skipping several thoughts and she realized a problem.<br>"Prince..." that deep, gentle voice that always paid attention to her character in Second Life.  
>Gui... she had completely blanked out his existence for the last hour. She had simply been too concerned with her thoughts. But now Gui was back in her mind and she suddenly remembered tiny details about his appearance, things she probably hadn't paid attention to earlier. Like her mind was yelling at her to remember about him after Zhuo's kiss had pretty much blanked her head. Her hands started to shake and she almost dropped the headband. How could she just enter Second Life now? Go in and play the game, pretend like nothing had happened. She was bound to run into Gui - or rather, he would make sure to see Prince. There was no way she could enter and be able to avoid Gui. For one, it would tire her out a lot. And for another... avoiding or even ignoring him would crush him. Although... hadn't she already crushed his spirits, what with letting Zhuo kiss her?<br>Lan sat down on the bed again and sighed.  
>There was no way she could enter Second Life and pretend like nothing had happened. As Prince, she was perfectly capable of wearing the mask of the infamous Bloody Elf or the charismatic Lord of Infinite City, even the poses for photoshoots were easy to make. But her friends would notice if she was acting strangely. Gui would notice it instantly... and even Zhuo was in Second Life, so meeting his character would be awkward. Lan huffed angrily.<br>"Whatever! Worst case, I end up humiliating myself!" she snapped and slapped the headband on.

* * *

><p>"Prince!" Gui's happy voice rang out and he immediately embraced Prince when he logged in. It almost looked like he was going to tackle him. Feeling the bard so close behind him, Prince immediately froze up slightly. As expected, complete avoidance of Gui in Second Life was impossible. Prince remained silent for a while, not moving a muscle.<br>"Prince?" Gui asked and gave the elf's body in his arms a slight squeeze, like he was expecting _some_ kind of reaction from him.  
>"Hi." Prince answered in a flat voice, keeping his gaze to the ground and wishing he could just instantly teleport somewhere else.<br>"Is something wrong?" Gui wondered and leaned his head slightly over Prince's shoulder, trying to look into his face. But the elf turned his head to the side, not looking at him at all. He squirmed slightly in the prolonged embrace.  
>"Just kinda tired." Prince answered.<br>The bard let go of him with a comprehending nod and watched Prince leave the room, for purposes unknown. Maybe he was going to go grab something to eat and gain some stamina back, fight off some monsters or maybe he just required the restroom. But Gui couldn't help but worry about the elf. Somehow, something in the tone of the elf's voice - however devoid of emotion he had attempted to keep it - sounded different than before. There was definitely something bothering him. And the way he wouldn't meet Gui's eyes just made it all the more apparent. The bard tapped his foot impatiently, wondering what to do.  
>Perhaps go after him and inquire again. He was sure that Prince's mind was trouble by something, but he had know idea if it was something big or something trivial. Prince tended to worry about the smallest of things, like when he didn't understand something in Gui's class. Or the fact that Yu Lian had lowered his limit of cash he could spend on his snacks. Whatever it was, maybe Gui should ask him? Or go to a place he knew Prince would go to later on and 'casually' meet him there. Or maybe really hope for a genuine casual meeting and ask then. Or even just flat-out call him at one point and ask for a private word.<br>But Gui shook his head.  
>He had promised Prince before that he wouldn't pry in his personal business anymore. If Prince wanted to tell him what was going on with him, he knew that the bard would listen at any time of the day or night. And if he didn't want to let Gui in on the working of his mind, that was fine with him, too. But he couldn't help but worry about the elf.<br>While Gui was busy having his brainstorm, Prince was aimlessly walking around the halls in the castle. He had no idea where he wanted to go, he just knew that had he not left the room soon, he would've ended up on his knees in front of Gui, probably crying streams of tears and basically demanding him to forgive him for his stupidity. Without even mentioning what the 'stupidity' was. Although, somehow, thinking of kissing Zhuo as a 'stupidity' felt wrong. Plus, it was a rude thing to do. And... somehow, he also didn't want to think of it as a 'stupidity'. It had felt... great. Prince's face immediately turned red at that thought. And while he was walking down the third hall, he saw Wicked and Lolidragon coming from the opposite direction. Lolidragon, her usual beautiful self, was handing one pile of papers after another into Wicked's hands, who was already carrying a decent amount of them under his arm. Whatever it was, Lolidragon looked rather displeased.  
>"...nd 'fix' your inbox already. If you don't want to test any new people for the army anymore, tell them to not apply. Don't keep using this stupid excuse. My desk is already full with other stuff," Lolidragon was complaining. "I don't need your hopeful soldier applicants filling it up with even more stuff. Besides isn't your standard for the army too high? ...Ah, Prince!"<br>She had noticed Prince at that point, the elf had stopped in his tracks down the hall. The other two stopped as well, Wicked giving Prince a nod as a greeting. For a few seconds, nothing happened. All three just stood there, looking at each other. And then Prince's face, if it was even possible, turned an even darker shade of red and he gave a swift nod at Wicked and then stormed at high speed past them and through the arch they had appeared from. The swordsman and thief stared after him. Especially Lolidragon frowned, wondering what ants had gotten into Prince's pants to make him this jumpy. She was about to ask Wicked if he had any idea and looked up, seeing only the profile of his face with a very interesting expression in his eyes.  
>"Ah. You did it." she said bluntly. Wicked almost jumped a foot at her voice and turned back towards her, looking down at her.<br>"What?! N-no, I didn't!" he spluttered, but a blush was definitely beginning to creep along his cheeks, even if his tanned skin made it a bit hard to tell. The thief quickly threw her hand over her mouth to contain the laughter about to burst out of her, but she began to sputter and snort, finally deciding to laugh and hold her stomach.  
>"Hmmm..." she went after she was done, then sighed dramatically. "Poor Gui!"<br>Prince was still rushing through another hall and finally bursting through the door to the men's room and frantically began to splash cold water over his face. What kind of reaction was that? He knew he wouldn't be able to remain absolutely cool, especially not with the memory so fresh in his mind, but reacting like that was somehow worse! But somehow, just seeing Wicked made the kiss reappear in his mind and his face felt like it was going to explode. And even just remembering seeing him in the hallway made his face feel hot all over again. Turning the faucet off, Prince took long and deep breaths, trying to calm his mind. This was ridiculous. He had to calm down. If he reacted like this every time he saw Wicked, it would be a catastrophy. And people would find out. He didn't really want that. All he had to do was try to stay calm. Just try it.

* * *

><p>And over the next few days, things had indeed calmed down. It practically returned to normal, depending on what normal meant to the people of Infinite City. Prince was as beautiful a sight to see as ever, the usual banters were going on. Yet, there were things that seemed to be a little too different. Prince seemed to avoid being in close proximity to Gui, always working at a different part of the city when Gui was in one, generally skipping out on him when the entire group went to kill monsters - although, since he did that with the other members a lot as well, it wasn't found too strange. And the elf even avoided Gui's office or even to go to the private bathhouse at the times when he was in there.<br>Several fans were delighted by this, others annoyed. But those fans switched positions when they realized the other half of the circle. Prince seemed to have trouble coping with Wicked now, something that he was perfectly fine with beforehand. There was just a slight hesitation or a bit of a stutter whenever Prince had to say something to Wicked these days. He worked alongside him just fine, but the elf always seemed fidgety and nervous, sometimes even avoiding to look at the swordsman.  
>That all went on for a few days, but after about a week or so, Prince was fed up.<br>He knew he was acting weirdly. He noticed the stares he was getting from the general public and from his friends. And he knew that he was kind of being a jerk towards Gui, who was taking it with a pretty calm attitude. But it was very clear to see that the bard was hurt by Prince's behavior, confused and wondering if it was somehow his fault, yet also a certain amount of anger and frustration for the previous two moods not properly explained. Perhaps if he knew what was going on, he would feel better.  
>At least, that's what Prince hoped when he stormed into the room.<br>Everybody looked up and Prince's eyes locked onto Gui sitting in a chair and he made a beeline for him, stopping right next to him. As it was typical from Gui, he was looking up at Prince with a quiet, but also happy, expression. He tilted his head slightly to the side, a little smile stretching along his lips. Prince didn't move.  
>"What is it, Your Highness?" Gui asked.<br>"It's about us-I mean, the difference... talk..." the elf stuttered and stumbled over his words, his brain somehow not attached to his mouth and the wrong words coming out. Growling frustrated, the elf walked back to the door, slammed it shut after having left it open and walked back to Gui, taking a deep breath.  
>Everybody in the room was really staring now.<br>"We gotta talk! About recently..." he finally brought out, choosing to use only simple and mostly short words. Gui's eyes grew serious and he kept his gaze on Prince, waiting to hear what he had to say. Perhaps a good explanation about his recent behavior? A decent apology for something he had done? Or maybe even a full description of what _Gui_ may have done wrong, that caused this behavior to happen. Prince opened his mouth again to speak, seeing that he had Gui's full attention... and everybody else's in the room. Flushing furiously, he knew that he would never bring it out in public. That he shouldn't.  
>This needed to be a private talk.<br>So Prince grabbed Gui's wrist and pulled him up out of the chair and behind himself, practically running through the door he had closed a minute ago and dragging the bard after himself. Stumbling slightly, Gui managed to steady himself and followed the elf, wherever it was he was dragging him to. Blindly, the elf finally went into an empty room with Gui and let go of his wrist, beginning to pace around the room. The bard closed the door after himself and locked it. Whatever it was Prince wanted to tell him, it seemed to be important and being interrupted or disturbed in any way may just prolong the words to come out.  
>Gui stepped further into the room, waiting patiently for Prince to calm down from his constant stepping. The elf finally stopped and stood in front of the bard, but still feeling a bit uncomfortable. But he had to tell him. Gui had every right to know why he was acting so strangely. Not that he had a right to know the cause for the behavior, but... Prince hated that Gui didn't know. He hated holding back secrets. And, knowing himself, it would get out eventually. What a depressing thought.<br>"It's... I've been kind of avoiding you lately because..." Prince began, his eyes darting all over the room, just so he wouldn't look directly into Gui's eyes for too long. "Well, something happened... and you'll hate it, but... it wouldn't be fair to hide." Gui had remained quiet the entire time. That Prince was telling him that his behavior was because of something that had apparently had such influence on him that it affected his way towards Gui, it sort of made the bard happy. At least, he knew that it was not a faux pas of his that had somehow turned the elf away from him. And if Prince didn't want to tell him what the 'something' was that happened, he was fine with that. But when he continued, the bard's eyes furrowed together slightly, uneasiness was coming over him and he started to wonder again. Exactly what was it that he would hate that Prince might've done? Prince knew that Gui didn't get angry so easily towards him, that he loved him with all of his faults and mistakes.  
>So just what was so terrible?<br>"It's... well... a... a while ago... W-Wicked k-kissed me..." Prince finally forced himself to stutter it out, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, rubbing his arm in a nervous matter and blushing furiously at the last words. He shook his head slightly, trying to get rid of the color still rising in his cheeks and lifted his head to look at Gui. "So... Gui? ...Gui, stay with me!"  
>Prince grabbed Gui by the arms and gave him a slight shake.<br>For a second, the bard's face had been deathly pale and his eyes seemed slightly unfocused as his feet began to sway a bit, like he was going to faint. But the shake seemed to have pulled him back to his senses, his eyes focused on the elf and a muscle in his jaw was tightening. And Prince saw what he had done just then.  
>He had hurt Gui.<br>He had really hurt Gui by telling him. That news hurt him more than the neglective and cold behavior had done for the past few weeks. It was like he could see the sting that had pierced his heart and worked his way through his whole body, making his eyes burn and the beginning of tears to collect at the bottom of them. Immediately, Prince second-guessed his whole plan, his whole idea of telling Gui to be a good thing. Not knowing that last bit would've been much better. Had he just stopped when he said that 'something happened' and kept it there, Gui would've understood. He would regard any kind of misunderstanding or problem between them resolved. And that would've been that. It would have been just this tiny bit of the reason that Prince would've kept to himself. Kept it hidden... but that was exactly what Prince couldn't do. The idea of withholding that was terrible.  
>It wouldn't have felt right.<br>"L-look, Gui, it was just one kiss...! It didn't mean anything, no, I mean...!" Prince stuttered and tried to get Gui to look at him when he turned his head this way, then the other way. It almost looked comical were it not that it was obvious how Gui's hands were clawing the fabric over his hands and trying to calm his emotions. "I-I mean, of course it meant something! But, just the, no, no I mean it was just once... and... Grah, that's why you get to kiss me, too!"  
>All movement stopped.<br>The two were silent and didn't move, barely even breathed, for what seemed like minutes. Prince was panting slightly from his sudden outburst and attempted wrestle with Gui, his shoulders hunched up. Gui was slightly turned away from the elf and slowly turned back, biting his lip and eyes still wide in surprise, shock and glistening with unfallen tears.  
>"...what?"<br>Wait, what had Prince just said? That was a ridiculous thing he had just blurted out on impulse. One of his love interest kisses him and the other got to do it as well? That was an idiotic notion! Although... while said without really thinking about it, it did sound kind of alright. It wouldn't make things go back the way they were. But it would make things... fair, right?  
>"Yes... I thought it'd be an unfair advantage of his... so you get to as well, okay?" Prince asked with a sigh, letting his shoulder sag. Now that he had said that, taking it back would be really weird. And somehow, he'd feel wrong, too. He looked up at the bard, but Gui only down at him with a confused expression.<br>"Prince, that's..."  
>"Please..." the elf asked, starting to feel really weird. It was a little awkward, this whole situation. Wanting to explain his behavior, he ended up hurting the other and now he was practically begging for a kiss. Well, not quite begging. He hoped it wouldn't come to that. That would make him feel like he'd need to ask for Gui's forgiveness for the kiss with Wicked.<br>And he actually had no reason to apologize for that. He had done nothing wrong!  
>"Prince-"<br>"Just do it already!" the elf snapped when Gui still did nothing. His cheeks were on fire, he just really wanted to get out of this weird situation. He felt like he couldn't leave things or exit this room until this was done with. It would feel incomplete. Suddenly remembering, like he had forgotten how to kiss, Prince closed his eyes and lifted his chin slightly.  
>Standing in front of Gui with his eyes closed felt even weirder. His sight was turned off, it left him feeling defenseless and absolutely vulnerable. He hated that feeling, he could feel his hands beginning to tremble slightly and his throat felt constricted. He must look so foolish just then. He had no idea what Gui was doing. Maybe he was just standing there and looking at him. Maybe even laughing? Or was he going to leave the room and let Prince stand there until he gave up? But he had heard no footsteps or any other movement for a while now.<br>Then he felt fingers gliding along his jawline and cupping his face, gently like he was made of the most fragile glass. The sudden touch surprised Prince for a second, but he told himself to relax. Everything was now in Gui's hands. Another hand snaked its way carefully around his waist and pulled him closer, trying to steady himself, Prince put his hands on Gui's arms. So Gui wanted to do this with a hug added into it? That was fine, Prince was quite used to the bard's constant embraces. The elf did catch his breath for a second, though, when he felt his head lifted up and could simply sense Gui's closeness. But, he had said it was okay, even told him to kiss him. So even if there was a tiny part of doubt, next to the huge amount of excitement, in himself, he had to do it.  
>Then their lips met.<br>It was a gentle kiss, the intent was similar to the one with Wicked. And his heart also made a jump at that point, but it felt maybe a little stronger. Yet the pressure on the lips was a bit more, like there was a badly hidden intent to not let go again. It felt wonderful, again it was so different from the ones Prince had always initiated. The arm around his waist tugged him a little closer and Prince felt the bard's tongue slide over his bottom lip, like he was stroking it. He had to admit, it felt like a unique little signature move and was giving the elf a tingling sensation all along his spine, like his hair was standing on end and his knees began to feel a bit weak. And then he felt Gui's tongue gliding along his own.  
>"Mmh!" the elf's surprised gasp was muffled, but his mind was focusing too much on what was going on in his mouth just then to really do much. The way Gui's tongue slid along his own, enticing it to join this little game, it felt kind of intoxicating. Although less like a game, the slow way they moved together and against each other from every side, it felt more like a massage... Prince's hands tightened their grip on the fabric on Gui's arm as he felt his knees grow weaker and he leaned a bit more against Gui.<br>And then the pressure around his waist softened slightly and the kiss broke off, Prince almost gasping from the sudden intake of air again. Gui's thumb caressed his cheek slightly and the elf hid his face in his chest, blushing again.  
>"Fair again?" he asked, a slight note swinging in his voice.<br>"Mh..." Prince nodded slightly and was determined to not tell Gui that he had kind of set the bar higher again.

* * *

><p>I finally get to write this chapter!<br>This is sort of a special chapter, since this is the first chapter where they kiss.  
>I think. Well, the first time Gui and Prince kiss. Beforehand, it was only Lan and Min.<br>Anyhow, this is kind of a theory I had for Half Prince. I knew that the first kiss between Gui and Prince would be as Gui and Prince in Second Life, not real life. And I was right, haha... I also knew the first kiss would contain tongue, but I have to admit that... that was quite some tongue in the novel!  
>Jeez, player much, Gui?!<br>I am trying to get a Valentine's Day chapter out on the 14th, so that's why I had to kind of force myself to upload this one first as it's the special 20th Chapter. The next one I'll have to hustle on. Thank God I don't have to work on the 14th after all.


	21. The Fight

Okay, okay, I suck at giving myself deadlines and keeping them.  
>I actually wanted to update Kansai Nii-chan Love on March 14th, White Day, since that was the day it was originally published. But I couldn't even do that, because I am severely lazy. And I haven't updated for a while, mostly because May was filled with a visit by my husband and I thought writing on my stories might seem impolite.<p>

Oh remember how in the last chapter I said I didn't have to work on February 14th?  
>Turned out I had to, after all, they called me in for three hours.<br>And I found a used condom in one of the cinema rooms!  
>I think it was used... although there was no... substance.<p>

**The Fight**

'Lan and Gui got into a fight...'

_All characters belong to Yu Wo, CatMuto does not own 1/2 Prince_

* * *

><p>Lan slammed the door shut behind her as she stormed out of the apartment.<br>"Lan!" Gui yelled, probably louder than he would've at her in any other situation, but he was still furious. He quickly stepped through the large cut-out arch that connected living room and hallway, but the door was closed and didn't look like it was going to open anytime soon. With a frustrated growl, he went back into the living room and paced around.  
>She shouldn't have left. While a tiny part inside of him, not powered by too much emotion at that moment, told him that it was good that Lan had left, he was still angry. It told him that it was a good idea if both of them backed off and come back when emotions weren't running so high, a much larger part of him wanted her to stay. Wanted her to fight this out with him. Plunking himself onto the comfy chair that stood in a diagonal line to the TV, Gui tried to calm down, but jumped up after a few seconds. He headed down the hall and into the kitchen, pouring himself a glass of water and downed it. Setting the glass down with some force, Gui sighed and felt a bit calmer. Not by much, though. His gaze strayed towards the window with the mint curtains and he looked outside, seeing the lights of other houses. It was late evening and really dark.<br>Even if he was still angry, Gui couldn't help but worry about Lan...  
>With another sigh, Gui opened up a bottle of something stronger than water.<p>

* * *

><p>While Gui was pacing at home like a caged tiger, dealing with the post-fight feelings his own way, Lan had walked out of the apartment building and headed towards the nearest teleport station, looking for someone she could vent her feelings on.<br>She had found that person fast enough.  
>"What a dick!" Lan snapped and plunked herself down onto the brown couch, crossing her legs and arms, glaring at nothing in particular. The rummaging in the close-by kitchen was slow and low enough that she knew that the owner of the apartment was listening, which was just what she wanted right now. "I mean, he can really raise his voice when he wants to!"<br>She probably didn't realize that her own voice, while not really yelling, was causing a slight echo in the small living room, despite several of the walls being insulated with bookcases. The sounds from the kitchen were dying down and footsteps came closer.  
>"Really, Zhuo." she said and looking at the blond man who had just entered with two glasses filled with some kind of juice of the red variety. Muttering out a quick thank you when he set one of them in front of her, Lan picked it up.<br>Zhuo sat down next to her.  
>"How can he just get so bent out of shape over..." the young woman began, placing the glass at her lips, but then stopped. She frowned for a few seconds and then plunked the glass back down with force. "I don't even remember what we fought about!"<br>And she picked the glass up again and took a big gulp. She wasn't really thirsty, but somehow she thought that maybe drinking something would clear her mind a little bit. Having muttered furiously under her breath all the way over had gotten her some stares from other people, although she hadn't cared.  
>Zhuo watched Lan drink almost half the glass empty with a few gulps and remained silent.<br>He wasn't entirely unaccustomed to this situation. It didn't happen often, actually it was quite rare, but it wasn't the first time Lan had come over to his place when she got into a disagreement with Gui. Every time this happened, Lan had been steaming and just went on and on about why they had fought. Although, at times, she forgot why they had fought and that only made her angrier.  
>And always, Zhuo remained silent.<br>The mature side of him knew that the problems were between Gui and Lan and he had no right to barge in with his advice on how to solve this situation, it was something that they had to figure out. So he knew the best thing he could be for Lan was an ear that would listen sympathetically. Usually, his being a sympathetic ear for Lan would take only an hour or two and then she'd calm down and return home.  
>Another side of him <em>wanted<em> to barge in, _wanted_ to give advice and badmouth Gui. It was the same side of him that wanted to tell Lan that, had she fallen in love with him, that things would've been much better. They would never have fought, Zhuo was convinced of that. He wouldn't lash out at her for whatever reason and upset her or even make her cry.  
>It was mostly the mature side that showed, though, and Zhuo was quite thankful for that. So he just sat there and watched Lan, listen to her talk about how she felt, while in his head he was actually doing a ton of talking himself. But he didn't say it out loud, because he also knew that Lan would just feel guilty and he didn't want to do that to her.<br>Lan gave a sudden strangled sob.  
>"Lan...?" Zhuo asked, the first thing he had said since she came and it felt like his voice broke from the little use it got.<br>"I don't remember what we fought about..." she admitted, still glaring and looking more angry than sad. Frustrated, even, because she was starting to cry. "I just get this feeling that we fought a lot about it lately... and I just don't know why!"  
>The blond reached out with his arm, but then hesitated midway.<br>There was a battle going on his head, one that couldn't really be put into words, it was just feelings fighting each other and wondering what the best course of action would be. Slowly, with still a hint of hesitation, Zhuo reached out and put his hand on Lan's shoulder. She flinched for a second, but he could feel her body relaxing a bit and saw her wiping the few escaped tears away. None followed, but her eyes still looked very wet and she took a deep, shakey breath.  
>"Thanks, Zhuo..."<p>

* * *

><p>Groggily, the young woman opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was a dark wooden floor in front of her. Sitting up, she could instantly tell she had a stiff neck. Distracted by a sound, Lan looked around and saw a beige blanket that had fallen off her shoulders when she sat up. Trying to really wake up, she stretched and could feel her whole body protesting against having slept at an awkward angle on a couch. Pushing the blanket off, she got up and flinched at the cold floor under her feet.<br>"Zhuo...?" she said in a low voice, still a bit sleepy.  
>The apartment was silent except for her footsteps and Lan walked all through it, trying to look for the man. He was nowhere to be found and, looking at a clock, she knew why. It was 1 PM, he was obviously at work. Lan couldn't believe that she had slept that long. She usually didn't sleep this long, but perhaps the small cry yesterday had tired her out more than she had thought.<br>Shuffling back into the living room to her makeshift bed, Lan noticed a key on the table.  
>It was like a silent message from Zhuo. He was asking her to lock up when she left. Folding the blanket and putting the two glasses from yesterday into the sink, Lan grabbed the key and left the apartment, locking the door behind her and dropping the key in the mailbox and stepping outside into the city.<br>The city was loud and bright as it usually was, but Lan didn't feel like either of those things. Now that she had calmed down, slept on things and gotten a little time to breathe, she realized how terrible she felt over yesterday. She shouldn't really have left home, but she had just been so mad and felt like she needed to get fresh air to cool down. She was worried how Gui was doing... part of her didn't want to apologize for leaving, but another part wanted to. But she just wasn't sure how.  
>Heading into the closest convenient store, Lan walked to the food section and looked around. Given the time, Gui was probably at work and, seeing how things went yesterday, probably didn't bring a lunch. Looking around, Lan grabbed two boxed lunches that, according to the label, was salmon-flavored. Salmon was Gui's favorite and although it was probably not as good as her homemade lunches, she didn't really have the time or energy to go home, make them and bring it over to the school.<br>It would take too long, anyway.  
>"A total of 12$, please." the cash clerk said after scanning the two boxed lunches and grape sodas she had laid down.<br>"I don't have the card..." Lan mumbled to herself, suddenly remembering she had stormed out of her house yesterday with nothing but her keys. Sighing slightly, she shook her head. "Just take the ID." At the clerk's gesture, she put her index finger onto the small blue square to her left. It scanned her fingerprint, identified her and gave permission to subtract the amount from her bank account. With a successful bing, the clerk handed Lan the items he had bagged and wished her a good day.  
>Hurrying to the next teleport station, Lan went to her old university.<br>Once she got there and had a look around, she was incapable of finding Gui. He wasn't teaching any classes at that moment and wasn't on the grounds, so Lan headed towards the teachers' lounge and hoped to find him there on a late break.  
>"Mh? Wolf...!" she called out when she saw a familiar figure up ahead and hurried towards him.<br>"Hey Lan." the doctor said, pushing his glasses up his nose.  
>"You know where Gui is?" Lan asked, the little grocery bag dangling noisily from her hand.<br>"He's not here today." Tian answered and got a surprised and confused look back. "No, he didn't call in sick. Adminstration is thinking that he's simply playing hookey because of that, but..."  
>"B-but what?" that knowing look in his eyes was making her uncomfortable.<br>"Seeing as you're bringing lunch, I'm guessing he's just not up to being at work today..."  
>Flinching terribly, Lan felt the heat rise up in her cheeks, but also worry. Gui wasn't at work and he hadn't called? That never happened, he was very diligent when it came to work and if he did get sick or was in a state that wouldn't be good to work in, he always called in early to let them know. Biting her nail, Lan turned on her heel.<br>"Thanks, Wolf. See ya!" she called over her shoulder and ran off to go home.

* * *

><p>The key turned easily in the lock and the door opened, Lan stepped inside and closed the door behind her softly. Immediately, she felt a little awkward, the memories of rushing out of here yesterday flooding back into her head. Putting the grocery bag with the food and drinks onto a sidechest, she walked down the hallway and stopped when she heard shuffled footsteps.<br>Gui had stepped out from the living room and stopped when she did.  
>He looked terrible. His clothes were wrinkled and baggy, he hadn't shaved that morning so he had a little stubble on his face, his hair was disheveled and he had dark rings under his eyes. It was obvious he hadn't stepped outside of the apartment since yesterday. One hand was shoved into his pants pocket, the other was hanging loosely down, holding onto a can of beer.<br>Lan was a bit shocked at his appearance, but mostly she felt a heavy atmosphere between them. Something was telling her to say something, her throat was tickling with words she wanted to say, but she didn't really dare. The silence was oppressing. She had to say something, anything. But before she could, Gui just sighed silently and shuffled back into the living room with heavy steps and sat back down onto the crafty couch they had.  
>"I'm... home..." Lan mumbled awkwardly and felt really stupid for doing so.<br>Forcing her legs to move, Lan approached the living room and told herself that she'd tell Gui she was sorry she left suddenly, but really needed to calm down and then give him the lunch, although it was pointless now. But when she entered the room, she stopped and stared. The glass coffee table standing on the green plastic legs had an empty glass on it, next to it an empty bottle of wine and what looked like two empty beer cans. Three, counting the one Gui was still holding. Suddenly, all her confused emotions from a few seconds ago disappeared under a wave of disbelief and annoyance.  
>"Did you drink all day?" she asked, unable to keep the edge out of her voice.<br>He didn't answer, only took another sip from the can he was holding and set it down onto the table. He turned his head away, maybe even giving a low belch, it was hard to tell. Lan looked at the beverages again and frowned. Gui was generally not one to drink, at least not a lot. Worried, Lan wondered if Gui somehow knew that she had left to go to Zhuo's yesterday and had ended up spending a night. She had no idea how he could've found out, but it was a worry she had.  
>"Why did you drink so much-" she started to ask but stopped mid-sentence when Gui turned his gaze on her and she felt frozen. Something in it still spoke of the anger from yesterday, but also of frustration and hurt feelings. "You shouldn't have-"<br>"Go." Gui just said in such a low tone that it was hard to hear.  
>"What?" Lan asked. Then Gui turned his head towards her glared.<br>"Go! Go back to where you were before...!"  
>"Fine!" Lan snapped back at him, getting angry at the sound of his angry voice. "I should've stayed at Zhuo's, it was better there than here!" And she stormed into the bedroom across the hall and practically bounced onto the bed in anger, the springs moving slightly beneath her. Crossing her arms like a vise, she huffed and felt like they were back to where they were yesterday.<br>She could hear something that sounded like metal and plastic being crushed.

* * *

><p>Turning onto her other side, away from the empty side of the bed she was lying in, Lan looked at the alarm clock.<br>It was 2:30 AM and she was alone in bed.  
>She hadn't slept at all since she went to bed hours ago. With the bedroom door left open. But Gui hadn't come in, not even for a second to look at her or anything like that. Certainly not to talk. Lan had been laying there, awake and waiting. First, she had been lying with her back to the door and the blanket up to her shoulder, so that Gui had to be the one to initiate a conversation, keep him thinking that she was still angry at him. Then she had decided to lie the other way, facing the door, so that when Gui came in, he could see she was awake and ready to talk and make up.<br>But he hadn't come in. At all, so she had just been staring at the wooden door and the sunlight that was gradually getting less, when she wasn't staring at the empty part of the bed. This whole waiting had given her time to think. And she slowly began to remember yesterday and why they had fought. Why she had become so angry that she had to leave.  
>Sitting up, Lan sighed heavily.<br>It was because of Zhuo.  
>Despite Lan having fallen in love with Gui, he was still jealous when it came to his rival and he had demanded, once again, for her to stop calling or talking to him, to cease any contact with him. She didn't want to do that and she tried to tell him why. But both were rather stubborn, so they had ended up screaming at each other about 'ridiculous commands' and 'childish behavior' and other stuff until she had left. Thinking that, now that both of them had more than enough cool-down time and distance from each other, it was a good time to try to even things out and maybe even explain things calmly, Lan got out of bed.<br>Throwing on her yellow silk bathrobe, she stepped out into the hallway and winced lightly at the cold floor, heading to the living room. What little moonlight came through the windows gave Lan enough to see the silhouette of things and she made her way towards the couch. It was a sort of throw-away pile of a lengthy matress with dozens of small pillows shoved onto it and a pale yellow sheet to make it look like a couch, something they had put together when they just moved in and couldn't find a couch they both liked enough to take home. Gui was lying on it, without a blanket, one hand on his forehead and the other resting on his stomach. Peeking at the glass table, Lan saw the same glass and empty wine bottle, along with two beer cans and one crushed beer can lying around. So he hadn't drunk anymore alcohol. That was a little comfort to her.  
>"Gui?" she asked in a low voice, although it still sounded much too loud in the darkness.<br>The figure on the couch moved slightly and she noticed his eyes opening slightly, looking at her. Feeling her heart beat faster, Lan took a deep breath. She had decided to make the first move, to try to make up and hoped to end the fighting over that particular subject. But now she had no idea how to do it. No idea how to start, no idea how to word it. Lan didn't want this to fail, she didn't want to have to fight over Zhuo and ruin her relationship with Gui that way. It was definitely not a 'small matter' to fight about, especially not in Gui's eyes, but it felt like it would be such a stupid thing to fight and maybe eventually break up about. Taking another deep breath and kneading her hands together, Lan decided to just let her heart speak.  
>"Look, Gui... I-I know that you don't like Zhuo very much. Or you don't like it when I spend time with him..." she started, stuttering and stumbling over her words slightly. But she really wanted to say this. "And I... I guess I can understand how you feel when I am with him. I get it that you're jealous... maybe even a bit scared, but..."<br>Kneeling down to be on a closer eye-level with him, Lan tried to find the right words.  
>"I can't just... not see him anymore. He's been part of my life for too long for that to happen." she explained. "I can't... I can't take away your jealousy or anything. That's impossible. But... if we work at it, we might be able to... I don't know... could you maybe try to... give me some space with this? I don't want to have to feel guilty just for seeing Zhuo."<br>The silence was back.  
>Lan wondered if she had worded it wrong, but that's how she felt. If Gui felt jealous when she spent time with Zhuo, it always felt to her like he was angry at <em>her<em> for doing so and that just tore her up inside. She could understand it, his jealousy, but she also felt like she shouldn't feel that way, that she had every right to see Zhuo. It almost felt like she was an animal caged in that wasn't allowed to do something that was so natural to it. And that just made her angry.  
>The room was so quiet for so long, Lan worried that maybe Gui had fallen asleep. But somehow, the silence grew a little softer and not as heavy as it was hours ago. Hearing him move, Lan felt his hand reach out and stroke her cheek with his fingers. Leaning in a bit closer, she could see a slight smile on his lips. Somehow that was better than what he said next.<br>"Alright, I'll try to keep my jealousy lower." he said, his voice raspy from the alcohol and sleepy nature. "But maybe try to give me a bit more of a heads up before seeing him? Don't tell me just as you're heading out the door."  
>"A monthly schedule?" Lan asked and could hear Gui chuckle slightly at that. "Okay, I'll try."<br>Straightening up a bit, she climbed on top of Gui and snuggled up to him. With his hand still cupping her face, Gui leaned up a bit and kissed her, but Lan pulled back after a few seconds with a frown on her face, smelling the sour alcohol.  
>"No kissing tonight." she said and leaned a bit lower, using his shoulder as a pillow and loved feeling his hand in her hair, it always made her feel protected. Gui leaned down and kissed the top of her head before lying back down, putting his other arm around her waist and holding her close. Finally, both were able to fall asleep easily, knowing that they had gotten a bit better at understanding each other. And that was enough for that one night.<p>

* * *

><p>See, this is how a relationship will work. You need to talk. You need to communicate. You need to be able to compromise, not try to change the other's ways or control their life. That's just something that bothers me in most Shoujo Manga I read, there just doesn't seem to be any believeable conflict or conversation going on. Exception is Say I Love You.<br>Oh and music from Katawa Shoujo was perfect for this chapter!

Some readers may or may not know about my announcement in Second Prince, whether I should or shouldn't rewrite it.  
>I have decided that I <em>will<em> rewrite it. But I will first have the already published chapters rewritten, before publishing them.


	22. Paradise

Apologies for the really long off-time. I was denied a training position to become a lawyer's assistant that I was previously promised and can't seem to get a different job, because I'm too overqualified for most of them.

This chapter was originally planned to be, like, the 25th milestone Chapter, but since every other idea I attempted got stuck, I figured I'd go with this one as I know what to do all the way through. I even know how it originally started out... anyway, there's more to this chapter. More on that at the end.

By the way, about M-Rated chapters... maybe I'll make one.  
>With an option to skip the M stuff, but overall, my stuff doesn't get too M-ish...<br>Most of my stuff is foreplay at most... hehe!

**Paradise**

'Stuck on an island. No idea where they actually are.  
>But Gui and Prince decide to make the best of it, while trying to figure out how to get out of there.'<p>

_All characters belong to Yu Wo, CatMuto does not own 1/2 Prince_

* * *

><p>The large crowd of novices, young men and women, were standing around on the deck of a large, wooden ship they were invited on. The ship was almost immense, it could easily hold the good thousand of new players that were on it, with more still boarding, and the furled up sails were gleaming in the sunlight. The novices talked amongst themselves, excited over the prospect of the journey they were about to take. But even more exciting than that, the invitation on the ship had mentioned that the famous Blood Elf would appear and greet them. The way they went on about that, it sounded much more important than the journey.<br>The crowd quieted down instantly when the famous elf stepped onto a little platform at one end of the deck, the rest of the well-known Oddsquad stepped up slightly behind him, all with an almost professional and warm smile on their faces.  
>"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Second Life!"<br>Some of the novices cheered and called greetings back to him. The elf waved slightly to calm them down again.  
>"We hope you all enjoy any adventure or experience you may have in the future. But before we let you roam free and cause any kind of havoc," he told them and some of the novices chuckled. "we have invited you onto this ship, to enjoy the great sea. You have been specially invited on this little cruise. For any players who have chosen any continent other than the Central one as your starting point, do not despair. The ship will let off any players onto their respective continents, starting from the Eastern Continent and going clockwise, before returning here."<br>Several of the novices looked relieved, having chosen a different continent as their starting point and worried that they may need to somehow work and grind their money together to get to the place they would usually start out on. But now they knew they didn't need to do that and got to enjoy the journey on the ship as well.  
>"We hope you enjoy the journey and your stay in Second Life!" all of Oddsquad cheered and bowed, the novices clapped for the short speech, although some looked disappointed, having hoped that they would stay on the journey with them. But the invitation didn't mention anything like that and it had only been wishful thinking on their part. Lolidragon and Doll were the first ones to get off the ship, the others beginning to leave as well. But Gui noticed that Prince was lagging a bit, his eyes turning impish with glee.<br>"Prince, is something-" the bard began to whisper and gave a slight gasp when the elf grabbed one of the bard's many robes' sleeve and pulled him slightly aside, making a hushing sign with his fingers.  
>"Let's look around a bit." he said.<br>"But... why? I mean, this isn't the first time you're on a ship. And it will leave soon."  
>"But this is a different ship! And no need to worry, I mean, it'll return here anyway, right?"<br>The bard looked a bit worried at that, although Prince was technically right. While the ship did return to the Central Continent, it only happened once it had been to the East, South, West and North Continent, which would take longer for them to return. But if all Prince wanted to do was look around for a bit, it shouldn't take so long, and they may be able to leave before the ship left.  
>"If you want to." the bard agreed to and the elf began to quickly walk around, almost dragging Gui behind him.<br>Prince wanted to look at almost everything, mingling amongst the novices and going up and down the various levels of the ship, his eyes shining like that of a little kid's. It almost amused Gui to see how happy this made the elf. Both stopped when the ship shook and began to gently rock along the waves. The ship had started its journey, with the two stow-aways. Prince looked a little bit worried for a few seconds and saw a similar expression on Gui's face, but the elf quickly just waved his hand.  
>"It's fine. Like I said, the ship'll bring us home." he said and went down into the low storage.<br>Sighing, Gui decided to send a PM, to at least lessen what damage may be caused.  
>"<em>Yu Lian. Prince and I were still on the ship when it just left.<em>" he told her. It may have been incredibly blunt, but it was better than prolonging the whole thing by sidestepping the actual issue, which generally just made Yu Lian angry. Well, angrier than being blunt would make her. "_So we'll be back, eventually..._" Gui heard a frustarted and tired sigh as an answer.  
>"<em>Fine... I'll let Lolidragon know...<em>" the mage sighed once more.  
>Gui nodded to himself and then followed Prince down into the storage. The whole place consisted of nothing but wood, with wooden boxes stacked all over the place, some oblong lumber pieces leaning against them and what looked like a spare sail folded up in one corner. Prince was walking amongst the boxes, swaying slightly with the constant movement of the ship.<br>"I told Yu Lian that we're stuck on this ship." he told the elf, who simply nodded. The ship lurched and the two struggled to keep their balance for a few seconds, but then the rhythmic motion returned. A little confused, Prince looked at Gui, who shrugged his shoulders, and then went back to inspecting the room. Gui noticed the PM system pinging at him about an incoming PM.  
>"<em>Gui? Gui, get off the ship!<em>" Yu Lian's slightly panicked voice came over the system. "_Grab Prince and get o-_"  
>The PM suddenly cut off, the ship having left the last area on the ocean that counted as being part of the Central Continent.<br>And then the ship gave another violent lurch.  
>Prince gasped and lost his balance, bumping his back against one of the many boxes in the room. He tried to get back onto his feet, but the ship's gentle rocking became less gentle. Gui slowly began to make his way across the room to get to the elf, but a loud rumble and the sound of a crash made him freeze in place for a second. One bad rock of the stronger getting waves moved some of the boxes around, their almost strategical placement being messed up.<br>"Augh!" Prince yelped as one of the oblong lumber pieces rolled off a box and hit him on the back of the head when he was slightly bent over. His hands immediately went to the injured place as stars burst in front of his eyes and he tried to stay focused.  
>"Prince!" Gui yelled and ran in a stumble across the room, quickly putting his arms around the elf. He shook his head, his hands still clamped around his head, but he quickly relaxed in the bard's arms. Gui grumbled, trying to stay steady on the rocking ship. With Prince unconscious, he had to keep him safe now and Gui leaned against one of the boxes, trying to get into a semi-stable position so he wouldn't be such an easy to throw around object. One particularly strong wave rocked the boat, jerking Gui frontwards and then suddenly pulled him back, crashing his back against the box he was leaning against earlier.<p>

* * *

><p>Prince's eyes fluttered and clenched slightly as he began to regain consciousness, his head pounding away like a jackhammer on the inside. Before he opened his eyes, he already noticed his surroundings. There was a rhythmic sound, but the rhythm kept getting interrupted by a popping or crackling sound that came now and then. Somehow, the elf felt a bit cold and yet there was a wave of warmth that kept washing over him.<br>"Mh..." he grumbled and slowly sat up, leaning on one arm and holding his head with his other hand.  
>"Good, you're awake." a calm voice sighed in relief and Prince saw Gui sitting across from him, a bonfire between them.<br>Confused, Prince looked around.  
>They were on a beach. The sun had not quite set yet, throwing an orange-pink color onto everything. The beach seemed oblong, with a row of almost smooth stone hills to their left side, with the tops of palm trees and their leaves peeking over them, with more being to be seen behind these natural walls. There were trees on the beach side as well and Prince noticed that several of them were covered with what he realized to be the various robes and overcoats Gui generally wore, leaving him in the pants and vest he generally wore underneath, one huge ivory colored cloth was drapped over several trees. And the elf recognized it as the spare sailcloth that had been in the storage room. Even something black was lying against a tree... which were his clothes.<br>Prince noticed that he was naked, except for a long damp cloth covering the lower half of his body.  
>"How's your head?" Gui asked, perhaps not noticing the elf's face flushing with heat.<br>"Ah, um..." he stuttered, rubbing his head again. "Hurts... a-anyway, what happened?"  
>"The ship crashed." the bard shrugged his shoulders. "We were floating on the water with wood and other debris, I saw this place and got us here for starters. Better than staying in the ocean, freezing and eventually drowning."<br>"What about the others? All those novices...!"  
>"I only know of us being out on the water. Anyway," Gui said and got up, the elf flinching slightly at the movement. "I'm going to look around for a minute, see what this place is like before the last of the sun is gone."<br>"You haven't yet?" Prince asked, thinking that looking around would be the first idea for the bard.  
>"I didn't want to run the risk of you waking up suddenly and thinking you were all alone." Gui smiled and turned, heading along the beach, his head turning this and that way, letting his hands run along the stoney hills. Then he disappeared behind a left bend and kept going. Fidgeting slightly, Prince waited a few moments and then, holding the cloth around his waist, quickly grabbed his clothes and put them on as fast as he could in case Gui suddenly returned. The clothes were still a bit damp, but it was better than staying naked. Prince suddenly blushed an even deeper shade of red than before.<br>Not that he thought Gui would do anything, but he didn't think it'd be good to stay naked anyway.  
>Looking around the fireplace, Prince searched for something that he could do. But he couldn't find anything. Any cloth was hanging up, drying, wooden stakes and other wooden debris was lying out of the reach of the tide and not much else was there to do. The fire looked like it was going well and there were some thin, broken branches lying close by, to keep the fire going.<br>Sitting down next to the fire again, Prince waited patiently for Gui to return.  
>He felt strangely calm and he wrote that to the fact that Gui was here. The elf was glad that he wasn't on his own at this place. If he was, he'd be freaking out, immediately trying to find a way out of this misery and probably ending up in a worse situation. But with Gui here, he wouldn't rush around or let his hot head get the better of him.<br>Gui returned a few minutes later, just as the last of the sun disappeared.

* * *

><p>The sun was down and the fire illuminated their faces as their only light source now. When Gui had sat down next to the fire again, he had taken a small branch and used it to sketch into the sand. Both were staring at the little sketch now. It first had the form of an oblong lima bean, with the top of it open and the end turning into a J-like curve. A cross on the left end of the sketch, Gui said, indicated where they were at that moment. The branch hovered over the sketch, pointing at the open part.<br>"There's still more to discover, of course, but that's best put off until tomorrow..."  
>"Mh..." Prince wordlessly agreed, staring at the sketch.<br>Gui got up and checked on one of his robes he had hung up to dry on one of the trees, seeing how dry it had become. Prince still stared at the sketch, but his mind was far away. Stuck on an island. They had no idea where they were, what this place was like or how they could get off of here. If they logged off and back on, they didn't know if they would re-appear here or find themselves back at the harbor where they had initially gotten onto that ship. The elf already heavily regretted his impulsive and curious side, deciding to linger on that ship and checking it out. He had to admit to himself that Gui had been right, he had been on a ship before and ships generally didn't look all too different from each other. It was just that he had been excited at the whole idea, the speech given to greet the Novices, the way they all seemed excited about the game, it had infected him.  
>Thinking about those Novices, Prince got sad... they were probably all dead now. Even if they had respawned in a city already, their first real experience in Second Life to be dying and respawning, it was not a very nice thing. He remembered the first time he had died in the game and the terrible neausea he had suffered from afterwards.<br>A cold wind brushed the elf and he shuddered, getting ripped out of his thoughts.  
>"I didn't think the beach would get so cold at night..." he mumbled, rubbing his arms.<br>"Prince, come over here." Gui told him and the elf turned. The bard was sitting with his back against the stoney hill and had the robe he had been inspecting thrown over his shoulders, his arms spread wide, beckoning the elf over. He noticed Prince blushing a little bit and sighed. "This is the best way for us to sleep and keep warm. Being cold won't make our situation any better."  
>Prince nodded slowly and had to force his legs a little to move, settling himself in between Gui's legs. The bard threw the robe around the elf as well along with his arms. Prince began to feel warmer immediately. He closed his eyes and leaned his head against Gui's shoulder, trying to fall asleep, although he knew he would find it difficult. Gui, mimicking him slightly, had leaned his head down, his own eyes closed and trying to sleep, perhaps ignorant to the elf's blushing. He could feel Gui's lips not quite touching his neck, simply hovering close by, like they were taunting Prince, driving him crazy.<br>Prince really had to try to sleep now...

* * *

><p>Morning came and the beach was lit up, almost too much. The sand was an almost dazzling white, but it gave a beautiful tone to the blue of the ocean that was sloshing up and down. Once they felt awake enough, Gui had left to collect more wood for the fire and to check out the rest of the island and Prince decided to do something about food. His stomach was beginning to growl at him and without eating something soon, he was going to start running at a slower pace.<br>Luckily, Prince noticed that, while he and Gui had both lost their shoes in the ocean and were now barefoot, his sword was still safely in his inventory. He remembered that Lolidragon had told him to not have his sword equipped during the speech and put it into his inventory, to hide any of the 'Blood Elf personality' for the event. She said something about not wanting to scare any new players, as not everybody loved the carnage and destruction that the Blood Elf stood for.  
>She wanted to promote the Charming Prince part more.<br>Kneeling over a flat boulder close to the shoreline, his sword held upside down over his head, Prince frowned at fish swimming in the water just below. With a quick thrust downwards, he stabbed a fish with the sword and lifted it out of the water, took it off the blade and threw it onto one of the many robes of Gui's that had dried by that point, where already a handful of fish were lying on top of. With no knowledge when they'd be rescued or get off this place, they decided to use whatever they could and, for once, the various layers Gui usually wore came in handy. They decided to use those for any kind of cloth they required. The spare sail of the ship, that had washed up close to the island and Gui had dragged out the water yesterday, would be kept for emergencies. It was made of thicker, sturdier material and would make good torniquets in case of injury and other ways.  
>"There's still more to discover." Gui said when he returned later, dropping an armful of dry branches onto the ground, and the smell of frying fish was wafting around. Prince was eating his second fish stuck onto a stick with one hand, handing one to Gui so he would eat. Taking it gratefully, Gui began to eat himself, both quiet while they were eating, more fish still frying around the fire that had been stoked and re-lit before they had gone to their respective little activities.<br>After their meal, Prince lay on his back and looking relaxed now that he had his fill and was satiated.  
>"...I wonder how angry Yu Lian is at us." he mumbled.<br>"Us?" Gui asked, smirking at the elf. "You're the one who wouldn't get off the ship."  
>"Well, you didn't stop me." the other retorted, grinning.<br>"Fair enough..." the bard sighed, pondering. "Although Yu Lian _did_ tell me to get us off that ship as soon as possible."  
>Prince sat up and leaned on his arms, staring at the sea and seeing a few gray clouds on the far horizon. Yu Lian telling them to get off that thing wasn't unthinkable, she had a pretty strict schedule to keep and she made others follow, mostly because it involved them. But something about that was still strange. There was nothing else big planned on that day, everybody would have pretty much been free to do whatever they wanted to. So perhaps she had had a good reason to order them off.<br>"...do you think she knew the ship would sink?" Prince asked and Gui looked surprised at the elf. "Well?"  
>"No... No, I don't think she did. Otherwise, she would have told me immediately to leave the ship with you." he answered. "It wasn't until a few minutes later that she did. So, if she knew, she didn't know from the beginning."<br>"Do you think-" the elf began, but stopped when a loud rumbling sound distracted him and several rain pellets suddenly began to hit him. The sky had turned leaden fast and rain was falling hard and fast, their fireplace fighting, trying to keep burning but the wood was getting very wet very fast and went out. Seeing Gui grabbing any cloth lying around, Prince did the same, grabbing as much as he could, folded and rolled it up as fast as he could and they huddled underneath some of the palm trees, sitting down and basically using their bodies to keep the cloth as dry as possible. The palm trees were not much of a help in keeping themselves dry, quite the opposite. The rain seemed to almost laugh at their flimsy shelter, hitting the two relentlessly.  
>Both were quiet for a while, the rain continuing to fall heavily.<br>"I don't get it." Prince finally said, breaking the silence. "The clouds didn't look that bad. And they were far off."  
>"Never think that on an island like this. The chance that bad weather hits sooner than you'd expect is high." Gui told him. "Especially on this island. We don't know much about it, but what with the days being this warm and the nights colder, it's likely that rain happens a lot... Almost like a tropical island... but was such an island ever on the map..."<br>Prince looked at Gui, muttering to himself once again where they were and if they really did drift _that_ far off their continent.  
>"So, we should build or find a shelter soon?" Prince asked loudly, ripping the bard out of his thoughts.<br>"Mh?" Gui looked up, confused.  
>"If bad weather is likely here, we need a proper shelter, right?"<br>"Ah, that would be..." the bard began, drifting off into his thoughts again. "...I know one."  
>Prince stared at him, the way he shielded his eyes and looked at the gray sky for a bit and then got up, signalling the elf to follow him. Getting up, the elf walked with a slight tilt forward, still trying to protect the cloth he was carrying. Gui led the way into the part of the island he had explored that morning, unfamiliar territory for the elf. There were a lot more trees in this part, it was like a little jungle, and the variety in trees was much larger, too. Some looked like smaller, thicker palm trees and there were even some oak trees. Stumbling a bit, Prince looked at the ground and at his feet, making sure he didn't trip or stub his toes anywhere, while also looking up now and then to check if he was still following Gui. Seeing that he was, he kept going and then saw Gui approach a large, round hill that looked like it was made of darker stone than the surrounding ones.<br>Then Gui waved his hand one last time and went into the hill through a large opening.  
>Following him, Prince found himself in a dark cave now.<br>There was a slight dripping sound coming from some small stalactites from the ceiling, having dripped for so long that it created small pools of water in some heavy dents on the ground. The cave must have been large as the dripping echoed. It was also pretty dark in this place, with only a little subdued natural light coming in through the opening at that moment. Help in the form of torches would definitely be needed to see in this place eventually. But right now it was fine.  
>It may be dark and cooler than the outside, but on the other hand it was a shelter and overall dry.<br>And that last part was the best.  
>Both dropped the cloth on the floor and then went towards the opening again, looking at the sky. The gray clouds still blanketed the area and rain continued to fall, not looking like it would let up very soon. Going in here was better than having waited it out in the open, leaving them drenched. Although they were pretty much drenched at this point, too.<br>"I'm starting to hate water..." Prince grumbled, grabbing one of the cloths and using it as a towel to dry his arms, face and hair.  
>"Hm..." Gui went sympathetically and copied the elf, still staring at the sky. "This is a good place to use as a camp. But we shouldn't go in any further until we can make something like a torch... and with the rain, all the wood will be too moist to use..."<br>Prince listened to Gui and then stripped his shirt off, shaking it and wringing it out, trying to get it at least a little more dry and comfortable to wear. But then he noticed that Gui had done the same and his eyes felt like they were glued towards the bard. They were tracing the form of his chest, his broad shoulders and arms, every defined muscle and the way a few missed drops of rainwater were running down them, like they were caressing his skin softly.  
>Prince blushed furiously and quickly turned his head away, ignoring the temptation to look some more!<p>

* * *

><p>Perhaps a week or two had already passed, they weren't sure. While they had checked the sun rising and setting, they had too much to do and basically lost count. But so far, things had been going well. Outside of Second Life, two people had found out that Prince and Gui were stranded on an island with no way off and that had resulted in the rest of the OddSquad and Dark Emperor finding out. So there was now a little search party going out every day, looking around to find them and their mythical island.<br>On the island, things had improved.  
>The weather had been dry and warm for a bit, drying the wood enough to collect it for firewood and torches. The dark cave had been explored with said torches and there was one small, rather hidden turn that sloped downwards and, the lower they got, the warmer and more humid it became. They found a small, natural hot spring. But aside from that slope leading to what would be their source of bathing, they found nothing. There was no other way out, the cave seemed to be its one big 'room' they had entered, along with the one sloping way. With it being a great shelter and have a somewhat natural, yet small, source of water, they had made their little camp here. Out of some large pieces of wood that had washed ashore, most likely coming from the ship, they had put leaves and cloth over that, turning it into a large bed to sleep on. It wasn't the most comfortable, but it was more comfortable than sleeping on the uneven rocks. And they had decided to cut and rip part of the spare sail with their hands and Prince's sword, making a blanket out of that part.<br>The cave was a great shelter. Although it was cooler in there than outside, the sail-blanket was sturdy and thick enough to keep them warm at night, when temperature dropped lower and even the outside was colder than imagined. They quickly got used to the constant dripping of the stalactites and it began to be more of a gentle rhythm. Best of all, it kept them dry during storms.  
>Especially loud thunderstorms like the current one...!<br>One loud rumbling and lightning striking the ground, Prince sat up with a start. He was tired, the thunderstorm had started in the evening and was still going on, keeping him up. It wasn't that he was actually _afraid_ of lightning or thunderstorms, but this one was just so intense and loud, it was a little unnerving. Perhaps it was because he wasn't in a closed building like usual, but he just didn't feel as safe as he usually did during thunderstorms.  
>Gui didn't seem to have any trouble sleeping. Lying next to Prince, he had fallen asleep rather fast and slept soundly, completely oblivious to the storm or Prince's uneasiness. Although now, with the elf's sudden start, he sat up a little and opened one eye halfway, still looking rather sleepy. He surpressed a yawn.<br>"Prince? Something wrong?" he asked, his voice raspy.  
>"Um, no." the elf answered, feeling a little bad that he had woken the bard up. "Just surprised how loud the thunderstorm is. Back home or in Infinite City, it never was this loud. Maybe it's right above our head."<br>"That's not how it works." Gui mumbled, fell back with a hand covering his eyes and obviously trying to go back to sleep. "The thunderstorm could be miles away, we simply hear it because this small island is in the middle of the ocean, with less obstacles to hinder the sound from travelling far. Not to mention, this cave. It's large and empty, amplifying the sound even more."  
>Prince turned his head a little bit and gave Gui a displeasing look, which he couldn't see. The <em>professor<em> was back. That was not something to talk about or explain during such a moment. Exactly why the storm was so loud was not on Prince's mind at that moment. What Gui should be doing, instead of going teacher on him, was comfort or console him in some way.  
>"I see..." the elf muttered and lay down again, pulling the slipped blanket to his shoulder again and tried to sleep.<br>Then he felt an arm move over him and pulling him closer. Gui was pulling him close to his chest, obviously trying to calm the elf down. Prince blushed slightly and turned around, facing the bard, who was already on the verge of falling asleep again.  
>This was definitely better.<p>

* * *

><p>Nothing but blue ocean in every direction, the sun shining white ripples on it.<br>Shielding his eyes with his hand, Prince swept his eyes over the ocean again, turning around as much as he could without losing his footing. Having thought that they heard someone's voice, Prince had climbed on top of their cave and looked around, while Gui was collecting some branches to restock their supply of firewood. But he was stopping now and then, looking over at Prince, checking if he gave a sign of seeing or hearing anything.  
>But the sun was high and, up to now, nothing had really happened.<br>"Maybe we were wrong..." Gui finally called up to bring the elf down.  
>"Maybe..." the elf agreed and lowered himself, beginning to climb down. When he did the little jump from rock to sandy ground, he stumbled a little and steadied himself quickly. But Gui looked concerned at the other.<br>"You okay?"  
>"Ah, just slipped..." the elf said lightheartedly, running a hand through his hair to look casual. Gui shifted the picked up wood into one arm and reached out to touch the elf's arm, noticing slight goosebumps on it. The elf's skin felt very warm, though.<br>"You're burning up...!" the bard gasped, dropping the wood onto the ground and felt Prince's forehead.  
>"I'm fine..." Prince mumbled, although he couldn't trick Gui with that. He started to shiver slightly.<br>Quickly, Gui picked the elf up and carried him into the cave, laying him down onto their makeshift bed and covered him up. Prince flailed futively, trying to shrug the blanket off and get up, but the bard put his arms gently, yet with a slight resolute force behind them, refusing to let the elf get up again very soon.  
>"Prince, stay." Gui said. "...I think you got a sunstroke."<br>"I'm fine... I was fine before..."  
>"I know, but the effects can appear quite fast. You've been out in the sun on that rock..." he explained and sighed.<br>On Gui's suggestion, or rather his decision, Prince stayed in bed. Gui ripped another one of his numerous robes again, making small washcloths out of it and dunked them into their small water source. Wrung out, he put one onto Prince's forehead and another under his neck, to cool him down a little bit. The elf tried to relax, to ignore the dizziness he had experienced ever since he jumped down from their cave's roof. What was more annoying was the flashes of heat and waves of cold that swept over him now and then. He felt too warm and he threw the blanket off of himself, but barely a minute afterwards, he felt too cold and snuggled underneath the blanket, curling up to get warm again.  
>Finally, though, Prince managed to keep himself comfortable by keeping his feet and arms free from the blanket. He was in and out of sleep, sometimes he was still aware what Gui was doing and sometimes down so deeply that his head felt fuzzy and heavy when he opened his eyes again.<br>Gui kept watch over the elf the entire time, keeping the small cloths cool by re-wetting them off and on, and otherwise sitting next to the elf and watching him, making sure he was alright when he tossed and turned or lay perfectly still. Once, after what felt like hours, Prince's long ears twitched and he opened his eyes, lifting himself slightly on an unsteady elbow.  
>"Prince...?" Gui asked, moving behind the elf and giving him some support.<br>"I heard something..." the elf mumbled almost incoherently and blinked, trying to orient himself. The bard strained his ears and listened for any uncommon sound next to the steady dripping in their shelter or wind rushing into the place, tricking their hearing at times. It was faint, but something was carried along with the wind that was not previously heard on the island. Gui felt split, he wanted to check on the sound and see whether it was safe or a sign of danger approaching, but he couldn't leave Prince alone in his current condition. Especially now, when the sound seemed to agitate him into moving. But Prince couldn't move very far or well, as evident when he seemed to slump and lean heavily against the bard. Carefully, Gui lay Prince back onto the bed.  
>"I'll be right back...!" he whispered to the elf and stroked his cheek reassuringly before heading for the entrance.<br>The bard quickly tried to get to a slightly less crowded part of the little jungle, straining his ears for any sound and his head swerving everywhere, in case he saw something unfamiliar. Then he heard it again, this time just a little bit closer.  
>It definitely sounded like a voice, but what exactly it was saying was unclear. Rushing back towards the cave, he climbed on top of it like Prince had done earlier and, shielding his eyes from the sun, he tried to see as far as he could on the ocean. It didn't look changed, it still looked the same bright and clear color it had beforehand... but there was a dark spot on its horizon. It could easily be a trick of the eyes, but the longer he looked at it, the more it seemed to be moving.<br>Then he heard something that distinctly sounded like the elf's name being called.  
>"Hey!" Gui yelled as loudly as he could, lifting his fingers to his lips and whistling as long as his lungs would let him. The dark spot stopped for a second and seemed to swerve a bit, like it was searching for him. Whistling again, Gui used his free arm to wave it in large arcs and the dark spot seemed to have realized where he was and came closer and closer.<br>It was Yu Lian and Sunshine, riding his flying carpet!  
>Rushing towards the beach, where they seemed to be landing, Gui saw that they had the same expression in their faces like he had. All three looked surprised at having found the others and shocked, exhausted along with relief after having finally seen each other after a longer span of time. They all sighed in relief when they were finally close enough for a decent conversation.<br>"I'm so glad to find you!" Yu Lian said.  
>"I'm glad you did, too." Gui agreed. "We <em>thought<em> we heard something. No idea what we'd have done, had you not found us..."  
>"So you're together with him? Where <em>is<em> Prince?" the mage looked around, probably expecting to see the elf come running as well. But Gui held his hand up for them to wait here and rushed back into the jungle, making his way to the cave again and getting to the elf again. Prince was still lying on their bed, his eyes closed and clearly looking like he was going through another heat flash.  
>"...Gui?" Prince mumbled, hearing the bard get closer. "What is it?"<br>"Yu Lian and Sunshine are here. We're getting off this island and back home." he answered short and quickly, pulling the blanket off of the elf and grabbing as many of the robes they still had and wrapped the elf up in them, carrying him in an almost cocoon-like state in his arms, despite Prince grumbling in protest.  
>The way back took a bit longer with the added weight and having to be more careful, but Gui made it back to the others on the beach, who had been waiting almost impatiently for his return. Both looked worried, seeing the elf in a clearly bad condition and quickly ushered them onto the carpet, following suit, and taking off almost immediately. Gui was sitting crosslegged, still holding the elf close, almost cradling him in his arms and Yu Lian was sitting close-by, asking some simple questions like what was the problem with Prince, how long it had been like that and finally sighing how grateful she was that they had found them now, getting them home where Wolf could treat the elf easily.<br>"Too hot..." Prince mumbled, struggling in his wrapped sheaths, but with the speed of their flight, he quickly felt the cold air rushing into a fold the robes had given for it to flow into and he curled up again, feeling cold.  
>"It's okay, Prince." Gui whispered into his hair, holding the elf closer. "We're going home and you'll feel better."<p>

* * *

><p>"A sunstroke, yes." Wolf said after he had given Prince a short examination.<br>Gui and Prince got welcomed back almost like heroes, it looked like Lolidragon and Doll were going to throw a party for their return, when the thief didn't look like she was going to slap some sense into those two, but Yu Lian had called her husband immediately and had him examine both of the returners.  
>Overall, both seemed in a decent enough state of health, perhaps a little malnourished with their focused diet on fish and some stray berries or other fruits they may have found on the island. Except for the sunstroke Prince was suffering from. Wolf was glad to hear that Gui's immediate ideas was to have the elf lie down and keep cool, but not too cold, so the sunstroke wasn't as bad as it could have been. One thing Wolf made sure, was that Prince was going to have to drink and since he couldn't really do that so well, they made him suck some water out of wet cloths. It wasn't much, but at least something.<br>By now, the elf was once again in and out of sleep.  
>"You should rest as well. Prince'll be fine, so there's nothing to worry about there." Wolf said.<br>"I would..." the bard sighed, feeling tired, but couldn't move very far. He was sitting in a chair he had pulled up to Prince's bed, making sure that he was okay until Wolf got a look at him. However, by then the elf had turned slightly and, whether awake or asleep, had grabbed onto Gui's vest, practically pinning him into place. That elf wasn't going to let go very soon.  
>Wolf shook his head slightly. Obviously, Gui was too nice and too much in love with the elf to, even gently, pry his fingers off and go rest himself. He would rather stay awake until Prince would wake up himself, even if it meant his own health might suffer. But the priest knew that no amount of talking would get the guy away from Prince right now.<br>"Just... rest somehow." he said and left the room.  
>Gui stayed with Prince for a long time, although he eventually did carefully move from the chair to the bed, sitting there and being almost like a pillow for the elf. He did drift off to sleep now and then, but mostly just watched the elf, still slightly worried.<br>Prince woke up hours later.  
>He opened his eyes, gave a little sigh and closed them again, obviously having been very deeply asleep for some time. Slowly, he lifted his head and forced his eyes to remain at least half-open, holding his head with one hand, trying to orient himself. It must have been late in the day because the room looked rather dark, but a cursory glance at the windows proved that regardless of the time, the curtains had been drawn and were significantly lowering the amount of sunlight in the room.<br>"Feeling better?" Gui asked, his hand still lying casually on the elf's back.  
>"Mh? Gui?" Prince looked at him, having no idea why he was there. "My head is killing me..."<br>"Dehydration. A side-effect from a sunstroke." the bard chuckled slightly and held a glass of water towards the elf. Sitting up a bit straighter, Prince took the glass and slowly drank until it was empty. The glass was put back and the elf sprawled across Gui's lap with a heavy sigh. The whole day was still fuzzy to the elf, he only remembered bits and pieces. Most of it he could figure out from his surroundings, they had obviously been rescued off the island and both seemed to be okay. But that's about as far as he could get on his own. A few questions to Gui, who had apparently asked the same questions to someone else earlier, gave him answers. They had been on an island that was technically not _that_ far from the Central Continent, but due to the ship's course first heading towards the Eastern Continent, they had first started searching around that area. Just one thing bothered the elf.  
>"What do you mean it was <em>meant<em> to sink?" Prince asked surprised when Gui had revealed that information about the ship.  
>"Well, we were on the Mermaid Ship." he explained. "According to Lolidragon."<br>"...Mermaid Ship?" the elf frowned. A ship called that seemed unlikely to sink so easily.  
>"When I sent Yu Lian that PM, telling her we were on the ship, she told Lolidragon and she almost freaked out. She told Yu Lian to get us off there this instant since it was going to get into a pre-programmed crash and sink shortly after starting its journey. Which Yu Lian tried to." Gui continued, smirking a bit about the entire idea. "Seems like this is an event that occurs for every Novice within a certain category chosen when they create their character. They all chose their race to be 'mermaid'."<br>Prince scratched his head, still not entirely coherent.  
>"I don't get it."<br>"Well, you know that urban myth - that people who have died at sea become mermaids?" the bard asked and saw some understanding dawning on the elf's face. "Exactly. Novices who chose that race have to die at sea before they can 'properly' begin the game. According to Lolidragon, it used to be certain small events for each novice set individually, but then they decided to create a mass-crowd event that would take care of all the novices."  
>Prince stared and tried to process that idea. On the one hand, it was terrible. Starting a game's adventure with death was not a fun little thing to do and could leave bad impressions on the new players. But he could also see how this sort of thing was something that was required, if their chosen race had the sort of 'birth' behind it.<br>"So... all the novices...?"  
>"Rebirthed at the respawn points, I'm guessing, now with all the features of a mermaid race."<br>"So... only we got stranded and didn't become mermaids because..."  
>"We are not novices and had differently chosen races long before."<br>Gui tried to hide a yawn, but Prince realized it and apologized all over the place for having kept the bard up, although it was technically his own decision to do so, something that Gui told him. But before Gui could excuse himself to go back to his own room and sleep, Prince kept him there and said he should just avoid any more energy spending and just sleep there.  
>Gui took him up on the offer, although he could tell there was a little different reason behind it, too. After all the time spent sleeping together on that little island of theirs, Prince seemed to had become attached to the idea and comfort of knowing that the bard was lying next to him. He just couldn't sleep without him anymore. And he would eventually learn to sleep on his own again.<br>But not right now, that could wait for another time.

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><p>I deeply apologize for the long time this took to update. You can see it as an early Christmas gift, I guess? Or whatever you want to see it as. I've been busy doing some Let's Plays that included Live Commentary and editing, also I got jibbed by my post office cause they screwed up and my pre-order of Lightning Returns is now not in my hands or in any of my neighbors' hands, as the note said, so I don't know where it is and have to call and complain and all that. Also, I got some more games, but haven't really focused on them yet.<br>Oh and the way of treating or experience the sunstroke here is how I remembered having one about seven or eight years ago.

As I said, this chapter has a special something.  
>This chapter... <em>all<em> of this chapter originated from a dirty fantasy of mine.  
>I had a dirty fantasy of Prince and Gui getting intimate and even sleeping with each other while they were stranded on an island together for a longer time. Of course, since I like details, I asked myself questions and tried to find plausible answers for it. How did they get there? They were on a ship and it sank, leaving them ship-wrecked. Why did the ship sink? Why were they on the ship to begin with? So I basically worked backwards to form a believeable enough idea or story on why they were there.<p>

Speaking of the island. That hot spring.  
>I first wasn't sure if I should add one in, for a long time, that section of the cave was labelled as having nothing. Cause I thought about it and figured, Nah, putting a hot spring onto that island may seem a bit too convenient. But then I talked with my husband and we kinda agreed: it would make sense. Second Life is a videogame after all, so it is likely that somebody put that hot spring there for conveniences sake. Especially if that someone was Lolidragon and may have thought of hot bishies getting stranded on islands and disliked the idea of them ending up stinky and dirty.<br>Anyway... yeah, this chapter could be considered a "clean" version of that fantasy.  
>I may do a chapter that has the dirty scenes... I might not...<p> 


	23. The Parents

Apologies for the lack of updates. I try to get myself to write, but I either don't feel like it or I get distracted and realizes it's already 1 AM and too late to start writing. Also, busy trying to get a job because, once again, nobody wants someone without experience in the job they are offering... and how are you supposed to get experience if nobody hires you to gain said experience? And this chapter is in first perspective, something I haven't written in quite some time.

**The Parents**

'Gui had a request and I just couldn't say no... I am so nervous...!'

_All characters belong to Yu Wo, CatMuto does not own 1/2 Prince_

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><p>Stepping out of the teleporter, I take a step aside and get out of people's way while I stare at the scrap of paper in my hands. Now that I'm actually here, my knees are actually shaking and my heartbeat is going faster than usually. I look at the directions written on the paper. They are short and precisely written, very easy to understand.<br>Get off the teleporter. Already done that.  
>Walk straight down the road and turn left.<br>There's even an arrow drawn that does a sharp left turn and a drawing of the restaurant's sign next to it. I almost feel insulted at how his directions are treating me like a moron, but then, I remember times where I got lost in my own apartment trying to find the toilet in the middle of the night. Being directionally challenged sucks.  
>But I dutifully walk down the street, forcing my wobbly legs to do their job and take me to my goal. Just as I was told, the sign of the restaurant is easy to spot once I turned left at the corner. And I almost immediately get spotted by the guy standing at its entrance. Taking a deep breath, I skip a little faster down the street to meet up with my professor, Min.<br>Let me explain.  
>A few days ago, Min asked me for a favor. Well, not a favor - even if he initially called it that. According to him, his parents are here for a visit. And apparently he's been raving about the person he loves to them so much, they are intent to meet her. Or rather, him. I'm pretty sure he was actually talking about Prince... wonder if his parents know, considering all of Second Life knows and even some of the paparazzi that first pestered him. Whatever. Well, considering he once went on a 'date' with me, he says it'd be a favor in return if I played the girlfriend's part and meet his parents. Actually, he called it payback.<br>But that's the reason I'm here. And am so nervous.  
>Since I want to make a good impression on his parents for Min's sake, I've been mixing clothes and trying to come up with an outfit that would look pretty and cute, but not too sweet or sophisticated or... anything...! And I finally decided to wear a pale yellow shirt with a slight collar and a short v-neck and sleeves with some dark blue pants, with a silver necklace with a small crown-shaped pendant. Instead of slapping my hair back in a ponytail as I usually do, I swept it back with a barette.<br>"Um, hi." I greet him, fidgeting with my hair and looking around. "A-are they already here?"  
>"They're inside." he answers, jamming his thumb towards the entrance. "Came out to meet you. Anyway, Feng Lan. Relax."<br>I nod, trying to calm my heart but jump a bit when I feel Min put his hand encouragingly onto my shoulder. Taking a deep breath, I nod again and we start up the few steps into the restaurant.  
>"Oh, I dunno if calling me Feng Lan is..." I say, thinking of ways to make this convincing. "Just... Lan. Or better, use Xiao Lan."<br>"It's gonna be fine." Min laughs a bit and rubs my back to calm me down. Or look like we're close, cause we're approaching the table where his parents are waiting for us. Actually me, to be correct, since I'm the last to arrive.  
>The walls are a calm, but rather cold gray color - although there's a long, five part painting of red and brown flares on one wall. The white tables look small to me, but they probably aren't, and the heavy, modernly styled black seats work with overall interior. Not so sure what to think of this design, I'm so used to wooden furniture in the places I frequent. Then again, this is a pretty high-end restaurant and actually had one of those Michelin stars. So what do I know?<br>"Mom, Dad. This is Feng Lan." Min says and I instantly focus my thoughts from the environment to the two people at the table.  
>"I-I'm Feng Lan. It's nice to meet you." I stutter slightly and can feel the warmth creeping up my neck.<br>"Pleasure is all ours." a warm voice tells me and his mother smiles at me while the father has a typical polite expression.  
>His mother is quite pretty. Her wavey, darkbrown hair ends in gentle curls at her shoulders and her face is rather round. At first glance, she doesn't seem to have given a lot of her genes to Min's appearance, but when I focus on her eyes and their darkblue color, I can definitely see his eyes. Yeah, Gui definitely resembles his mother in Second Life, especially with the long hair.<br>Mh... his father on the other hand... Min definitely takes after him a lot. The haircolor, the way he seems to hold himself and move, even the face form looks similar. Although his father also reminds me of that oldies singer... that Gackt. Well, there are some fine lines at the corners of his eyes and the side of his mouth, but it only makes him look better.  
>He looks pretty hot, actually. Wait... this means that Min will continue to look hot himself in age!<br>Awesome!

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><p>Ah, this is terrible... here I am, in a michelin star restaurant and the food looks delicious, but I am so nervous, I don't feel like eating much...! And I usually eat a ton...! Well, the thing with the parents is going okay. His mother's asking me curious questions while his father is being really quiet. Actually, he hasn't said anything in my presence yet... does this mean he doesn't like me?<br>"How _did_ you meet?" his mother just asked me, smiling still.  
>"Um, well" I stutter slightly. "we met online at first. But then I found out he was my literature professor. Haha, small world...!" Well, I'm not really lying. He did meet Prince in Second Life and is my professor, with the slight difference that he doesn't know that I am Prince. So it's still not really a lie, right...?<br>Min just looked a bit shocked. Guess he didn't think I'd 'make up' a meeting story.  
>"A student?" she sounds a little surprised. "...Ju, did you not always say you would never start a relationship with one of your students?" Both Min and I flinch at those words. Wait, is she serious? He really doesn't date his students? At all?<br>Aw crap, I blew it-Wait, does this mean that, even if I revealed to him that I was his beloved Prince, he wouldn't date me?  
>Why's he being so old-fashioned about that, nobody really cares about such relationships anymore...!<br>"I did." Min answers his mother with a slight smile. "But we are both capable of keeping our school and private relationship apart."  
>"Ah, yeah. He won't even tell me of any upcoming pop quizzes!" I layer it on and give him a slight teasing nudge with my elbow.<br>His mother just smiles at that. You know, it's not just Daddy Min who's been really quiet up to now. Min himself isn't talking a lot. Maybe he had a really traditional raising with the father as the tall, respectful figure? It would explain things...  
>"Eh? Ah, no. I... I'm not a fan of public affection..." I mumble embarrassed at his mother's latest question. "Ehehe... sometimes, I even have to reprimand him..." I may be stepping the line here, although I am still not lying. I don't mind it when Gui embraces me in Second Life or similar, but not when it's in a public place. For one, it's embarrassing. And for another... those fangirls' reaction when they see it... well, some of them are those kind of fangirls and like seeing it. The others would transform into wolves and chase us around for a few hours.<br>I suddenly feel a slight tug at my hair and a pinch.  
>"Mh?" I go and my hand moves up, bumping into Min's. Oh, my barette was getting loose...! "I'll go fix this. Excuse me..."<br>I get up from the table and, keeping a hand over the barette, move across the room to the restrooms. In the women's restroom, I check in the mirror and re-twist my hair to hold it up properly with the barette again. Mhh, I'm kinda wondering if maybe his mother is mentioning anything about me to her son now. I don't think so... well, hope so.  
>Not that I think I did or said anything that might annoy her... I hope...<br>Well, the hair is fixed again, so I quickly make my way back to the table.  
>"It's nice to meet you, Lan - is it alright to just say Lan?" Min's mother asks. "Has Ju met your parents yet?"<br>"Eh?" I go.  
>"Well, Xiao Lan's parents are..." Min starts, a short glance to my side signalling that I should explain this any way I want.<br>"Um, we haven't found the time yet. My parents tend to travel and go on honeymoons a lot, so they aren't home very often. Although we are planning to snag them as soon as possible."  
>"It sounds like your parents raised you within a very happy marriage environment."<br>Happy Marriage Environment? I won't correct her, if she wants to think of it like that. I personally would more call it a lack of parental figure being around once my brother and I were considered 'old enough to take care of ourselves' which was around the age of seven... but I guess seeing them together when they are home is good.

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><p>"It was wonderful to meet you." his mother says, shaking my hand enthusiastically, clasped between her own two. The lunch went off without a hitch afterwards. Good thing, too, cause the longer it went, I was feeling a bit uncomfortable. I'm okay with lying, but the longer I have to pretend something, the more nervous I become...!<br>She gives a quick handshake-with-a-hug to Min and then his father shakes his hand.  
>"...I approve." he says.<br>Wait, did he just talk? Whoa, he actually said something...!  
>"Say, aren't you going to need to use the same teleporter?" Min's mother asks, pointing at the teleporter at the end of the road from the corner we're standing on. Well, I will have to use it when I go home, but I don't know about Min.<br>"Ah, no." I answer, pointing slightly at some street behind me without fully turning around. "We'll be heading this way."  
>What's with those reactions? His father got a small twitch on his lips and his mother's eyes grow impish with slightly glee and she looks like she's holding back a laugh. And even Min is chuckling slightly.<br>"We hope to see you again." his mother smiles before turning. "You two have fun~" She leaves with her husband arm-in-arm. I guess they are still happy in their marriage. Well that's good to know. Nice to see a couple that is still happy without being all lovey-dovey every single moment they are together.  
>"Feng Lan, you are a riot." Min tells me and holds back another wave of chuckles.<br>Okay, what's so funny? I turn around and look at everything in the street.  
>Ghe, I was pointing at a Love Hotel?!<p>

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><p>I apologize for the slightly short chapter that this is. I'm slowing down on writing a bit. And we actually have a few lost chapters right now. An attempt of smut, something that is a Gui-View of a Second Prince chapter, even some ideas that I've had since I started this anthology and just never got around to writing them. Also, this is another dirty fantasy of mine, where Min offers to go to the love hotel with Lan as a 'reward' for her helping him with this. But not very, as it involves her revealing her Prince-status to him and everything. So it's not just plain smut. More romance and such.<br>Also, the whole job thing.  
>Speaking of Second Prince, the rewrite is going a bit slowly right now.<br>By the way, the michelin star restaurant in this chapter is modelled and described as an actual michelin star restaurant in Hong Kong.


	24. Daddy Pleasure?

Lost chapters...

**Daddy Pleasure?**

'Rumors are flying around...'

_All characters belong to Yu Wo, CatMuto does not own 1/2 Prince_

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><p>Prince was sitting at the table in the meeting hall, working through his notes from his school work and Gui was going over notes on the new expansion to the city close by. Both had been busy with their own work for the last hour, not paying too much attention to the other after the brief greeting before starting their duties.<br>Then Gui got a PM.  
>Prince noticed the small hints of it easily, the tiny habits of his. Whenever he got a PM, Gui's head lifted and he frowned slightly, with his eyes focusing on a far away point as he was obviously reading the message. And, if he answered it, he tapped his left index finger a little bit before he focused on his previous activity again. But this time, it was different. The bard's expression didn't focus, but first looked confused and slowly, as comprehension dawned on him, began to frown. He almost seemed annoyed and got up from the table suddenly, leaving the room in an almost hurried fashion.<br>Prince turned around in the chair and stared after him.  
>Gui didn't come back for the day and was almost impossible to find the next one. Even when Prince went out of his way to places the bard frequented, he couldn't find him. He was curious and wanted to know what yesterday had been about. But without finding the bard, he couldn't ask him directly. Instead, he went to Wolf and asked him, thinking that Gui must've told his friend.<br>"Yes, Gui did confine in me." Wolf answered when Prince asked him.  
>"Um... confined...?" the elf muttered, almost fearing the answer.<br>"Mhm." he replied.  
>So, just like Prince had feared, Gui did not want him to know what was going on. More attempts at trying to find the bard and ask what was going on were futile as he seemed to have completely disappeared. Prince first thought that Gui was really good at hiding and avoiding him, but then he realized that the guy hadn't even logged in for a while.<p>

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><p>Things got weird in school a few days later. It seemed normal enough, with nothing strange happening for majority of Min's lesson. Shortly before the bell rang, there was a knock at the door of the classroom and Min stopped talking, halting his writing on the blackboard and all pairs of eyes went towards the door. The door slid open slightly and the principal stood there, clearing his throat and beckoning Min over with his finger.<br>"Read the next few pages on your own." he said and put his own book down, heading over to the door. There were very hushed voices between him and the principal, perhaps fully aware that none of the students were doing as they had been told, but quietly watching and even trying to eavesdrop. The ones in the front rows and furthest away from the door were able to see into the hall behind the principal. Standing there was a young woman with wavey brown hair and a blue blouse, apparently carrying something. Min said something to the principal who nodded and stepped outside, the professor following him and closing the door.  
>"Hey, did you see anything?" the class began to erupt into incoherent babbling immediately.<br>"There was some woman there."  
>"A woman? You think it was his girlfriend?!"<br>"And she was carrying something..."  
>"Maybe Min forgot something at home?"<br>"Shhhh...!" one student finally urged, sneaking towards the door with his back bent. The class grew quiet, all eyes on their comrade who was going to see clearer. At the door, he put his hands on it and his ear close to it, to see if he could make any words out through it. With a slight shake of his head, he signaled to the others he couldn't and slowly straightened up, peeking through the small glass window. Everybody stared, waiting for some reaction. They saw his eyes widen.  
>The student quickly bent down again and hurried back to them.<br>"It's a baby! She's holding a baby!"  
>"What?!"<br>"A baby!?"  
>"You mean it's his!?"<br>"Who else's?!"  
>The class was in chaos, talking loudly all over the place to the point of not really being able to understand what the other was saying. It was clear this was going to be spread all over the university in a short time, probably even decorated with all sorts of ideas and theories that were insane to even think of to begin with.<br>"Lan?" Yu and Lin said, leaning towards her. Lan hadn't moved in a long time and looked strangely unfocused.  
>It somehow didn't fit into her head. Min... and a woman with a child?<br>It got even weirder in Second Life.  
>Apparently the students were either not done debating about their insane theories of what this all could mean, even whether the woman was actually his sister or friend who had dropped by for a visit, or were intent on telling every single person they knew, whether online or offline, about this piece of news. Whatever their reason, it did spread all over Infinite City pretty fast.<br>"So..." Lolidragon said non-chalantly, looking at the elf to her left at the table. "You heard that gossip about Gui?"  
>"Mh." he answered.<br>"You know, how he has a kid but left the mother while she was pregnant and is now refusing to acknowledge it and denying her? To the point that he's actually threatening her if she doesn't stop?" she continued, waiting for some sign from Prince. He looked up with a strange frown on his face in her direction. "Yeah, I know it sounds pretty over the top. I don't think Gui would actually go that far, but... well, you know what I mean. It sounds somewhat believeable."  
>"Hmmm..." Prince sighed. While he had heard the gossip in bits and pieces, and was even in the room when said woman first appeared, it still didn't quite stick with him. A part of him always knew that Gui must've had previous relationships, given his looks and personality, it was difficult to imagine him to not have had one before. But it never really properly struck him. It was always a sort of subsconcious thing, that hit him for the first time.<br>But once again, any attempt to talk to Gui was futile. The bard was getting a lot of disapproving glares when he was online in Second Life, even more than he usually did from the few people who didn't like him for some reason, be it his feelings for Prince or something else. The rest of the time, he was offline and his whereabouts unknown. The only one who apparently knew where Gui was when he was offline was Wolf, but he kept quiet about it. Whether the bard's lack of presence was good or bad wasn't easy to tell, as Prince was getting increasingly frustrated and bad-tempered.

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><p>"Oh. Back, are we?" Prince asked condescendingly, glancing over his shoulder at the bard who had just entered the library and was in obvious search of him. A few days had passed since Gui had last been online, and the disapproving glances online had followed him offline, giving the classes a rather tense atmosphere. Now that he had logged in again, he was apparently intent on talking to Prince and had asked where he was, getting told to look for him in the library.<br>The elf was there now, the same displeased expression on his face and intent on ignoring him.  
>"Your Highness looks good." Gui said, awkwardly trying to break the heavy silence in the room.<br>"Hmmm..." Prince responded. "Why aren't you with your little woman, playing house?"  
>"Ah, so you did hear..." the bard sighed. A part of him, however stupid it was, had been hoping he hadn't heard any of the rumors. Of course he had heard, probably through multiple detours and various mouths, making the rumor bigger and better than it actually was. "Well, I did want to talk to you about that..."<br>"No need to. You know, now things sort of made sense." Prince retorted, still not looking at him. "No wonder you went for me now. After all, **I** can't get pregnant." The elf had a serious pout on his face when he said this, although Gui didn't see it. Part of him really wanted to shock the bard now by telling him that he was actually a woman in real life and perfectly capable of getting pregnant, too, but he decided to not do so.  
>"Prince, you know that wasn't a reason-"<br>"Hmpf, whatever. Mostly I'm disappointed. Never thought you were this much of a coward."  
>"Cow-"<br>"Denying a child you fathered and all-"  
>"That child isn't mine!" Gui suddenly yelled and slammed his hands against the wall, trapping Prince in between his arms. The elf flinched at the sudden movement and stopped midsentence, staring in surprise at the bard's infuriated expression. The room was dead silent for several seconds, both registering the sudden movement and and loud voices before slowly calming down. Gui took a step back and lowered his arms, looking exhausted.<br>"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you." he apologized.  
>Prince remained still for a few seconds and then slowly moved to one of the couches in the room and sat down. He gave a tiny nod to his side and Gui followed him, sitting down next to him, both intent on not getting too heated up and listen to the other. They were quiet again, probably both searching for a way to break the silence.<br>"...how can you be sure the child isn't yours?"  
>"Because of two good reasons. First of all, I never slept with her without at least two reliable ways of protection." Gui answered calmly, ignorant of the fact how Prince blushed at his answer, his mind trying to distract him with thoughts of what those words had really meant. "And for another... we broke up over three years ago. The baby is barely a year old. It's just plain impossible."<br>"Mh..." Prince nodded slightly. He reached out and put a hand on the bard's arm. "Gui, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that stuff... and I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions." Gui pulled him over into a hug and ran his hand over the elf's back.  
>"I should've explained things from the beginning, before they got out of hand."<br>They stayed in the hug for a while.  
>"Hey, why is she saying it's yours?" Prince asked, leaning away a bit, actually really curious about this.<br>"Financial support. Maybe the real father left or died." Gui shrugged his shoulders. "Having someone else take care of it, take some of the responsibility off her shoulders. I don't know. And quite frankly, I don't care. If this wasn't somehow connected to me, I would have ignored her when she contacted me."  
>"Mh... so what have you been doing?" the elf wondered, frowning. "Not taking care of that kid, did you?"<br>"Course not." Gui snorted. "I've been offline, trying to find concrete proof of, well, not-paternity. Without proof of paternity, I can't get to the kid's birth certificate. So I've been trying to hack into the database to retrieve it." He moved his hand to cup the elf's face in it and kissed his cheek, then his jawline and kept going, feeling the matter finished.  
>"Um," Prince went, blushing from Gui's actions and enjoying them but trying to think straight. "Why not a paternity test?"<br>"...last resort." the bard muttered after a pause. Perhaps he hadn't really thought of that himself before. Like he was trying to distract Prince from the entire situation and focus on something else, he nudged the elf back a bit. The elf complied and lay back on the couch, Gui kissing him and running his hands down his side, sending slight shivers down his spine. Playing with his tongue and slowly, tentatively feeling the bard's fingers slip underneath his shirt...  
>"I see your techniques haven't changed."<br>With a huge jump at the sound of the voice, Prince pushed Gui slightly off and leaned his head back to see who had appeared so suddenly. A woman with wavey brown hair and an impressive bust was standing there bold as brass, her hand on her hip. She glared at Gui with an almost mocking glint in her eyes. That already made it obvious she was the ex-girlfriend that had caused the entire problem in the first place. Prince somehow felt terribly exposed and uncomfortable in her presence and shrank into himself, turning his face to the back of the couch and tried to make himself as invisible as possible. What he really wanted to do was leave, or put his hands over his ears and hum loudly so he wouldn't hear anything, but Gui was still sort of on top of him.  
>Escape was impossible.<br>"I see your habit of entering without knocking hasn't disappeared." Gui answered, his voice low and cold as ice.  
>"Tsh, even if I had knocked, I doubt you would've heard it." she retorted, a nasty grin stretching her lips. "Anyway, ignoring your latest bedbunny there, we gotta talk about-"<br>"I already said all that has to be said." the bard hissed. "Go back to that little suckling bastard of yours that makes you feel good about yourself and leave me alone." The woman flinched at those words, like she was physically hurt by them. Giving Gui one last pissed off look and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.  
>Gui took a deep breath and sighed heavily, like he was allowing himself to be exhausted and relieved, and lay down on top of Prince, snuggling him slightly. The elf was still reeling from the short conversation he had heard. There was definitely some bad blood between the two, it was probably a pretty messy break up. He had only ever heard Gui talk so icy towards Wicked, but not often... and yet this one seemed worse than that. Hearing him talk like that was so unfamiliar to Prince, it almost made him glad that Gui was not his enemy. That guy was so scary when angry...!<br>"Sorry about that." Gui said, ripping the elf out of his thoughts, and pecked his cheek.  
>"Mh..." Prince mumbled. Now that he looked at Gui, with the bard's eyes closed, he could tell how tired he looked and some frowny lines on his forehead. The entire situation was definitely hard on him. Prince felt a sense of annoyance sweep over himself, angry at himself over how he had treated Gui and was going to treat him. Without really listening to his side of the story.<br>Prince put a hand on Gui's neck and slowly began to caress it. Well if this situation was going on longer and Gui needed a place where he could relax and a person to do it with, he'd be there for him.

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><p>Finally finished...! Quite honestly, aside from having writer's block, this chapter gave me trouble. I already had to rewrite the first two paragraphs cause I was a bit stuck. Then I was stuck on how to get them to the library, where I had long decided the "climax" would take place. Yeah the woman's appearance is kind of short, but hey, that was kind of the purpose. A quick annoyance that can turn big, but is overall nothing more than a blip on the radar.<br>And yes, I have a lot of lost chapters right now.


End file.
